John 6:15-21 NKJV ¹⁵ Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

¹⁶ Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, ¹⁷ got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. ¹⁸ Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. ¹⁹ So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. ²⁰ But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” ²¹ Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.

This happened just after he fed 5000 men plus women and children with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. There were a couple things here I felt the Holy Spirit wanted me to see this morning. First, when Jesus perceived the people were going to take him by force and make him king, he left and went to the mountain alone. He knew the people weren’t happy with the king of that day and could tell that they wanted him as king but that wasn’t his purpose for coming. Gods plan was much greater than filling their physical needs. His plan was redemption, giving man back the authority he once possessed and allowing him to once again walk and talk with God in the world He had given Adam. But these men were just like men today; what can you do for me? How can you feed me, clothe me, give me healthcare, meet all of my needs and keep me happy. Once again, man can only see what’s in this realm not the realm of the Spirit.

Secondly, the disciples got into the boat and started for the other side of the lake. I’m not sure if anyone has ever rowed a boat before, but it’s not as easy as it looks, for sure! They had rowed 3-4 miles by hand and a storm came up. Ok, thats a bit scary, but than Jesus walked toward them on the water and they were REALLY scared. Once he announced himself and got into the boat, they were instantly where they were meant to go. Ok, I looked back in this story and didn’t see anywhere that Jesus gave them the command to ‘go to the other side’, or ‘go on without me, I’ll catch up’. There was another time when he fed people, went away to pray and told the men to go to the other side and wait, however this was not that time.

How many times have we assumed that just because God did it that way the last time, we need to do it that way again? How many times have we struck out on our own only to get into trouble and need to be rescued. Perhaps if they had waited on the shore for Jesus, they wouldn’t have needed to row that 3-4 miles but would have entered the boat and been on the other shore just like that. We need to learn that the pressures of our need is not what moves God to intercede. Waiting on the Lord FIRST and allowing Him to direct our steps is key here. We must not be moved by feelings, but allow faith in God and His plan to be what moves us. 

Father, I have read your promises to me and you are faithful. Nothing and no one can stop your plan from being accomplished in my life. When one door closes, I will wait for you to open another, I will not keep trying the knobs and banging on the doors. I will listen to your still small voice until I hear you say, ‘This door will open for you!’ because with you, nothing is impossible. I will not fret or worry when I’m surrounded by opposition for you are much greater than them. You laugh at those who stand against me for you have purposed to bless me and nothing can hold back the blessing of my God.

Perhaps you’re facing the most difficult season of your life. Like the storm that arose on the journey to Capernaum, you’ve been rowing in a boat that’s going no where fast. Be still. Put down the ores and wait for Jesus to arrive because once he comes, you’ll be where you need to be immediately. God has things to do through you, wait for Him to take you there.