From John 6:1-24

I’m reminded of today’s Bible reading by lyrics from the song “Storm” by the group “Lifehouse” (excerpts below):

How long have I been in this storm?
So overwhelmed by the ocean's shapeless form
Water's getting harder to tread
With these waves crashing over my head ...

I know you didn't bring me out here to drown
So why am I ten feet under and upside down?
Barely surviving has become my purpose
Because I'm so used to living underneath the surface

If I could just see you
Everything would be all right
If I could see you
This darkness would turn to light
And I will walk on water
And you will catch me if I fall
And I will get lost into your eyes
I know everything will be alright

I’ve known times of intense fear like the song’s protagonist ... times when I didn’t understand what God was doing / why He had not yet intervened in my struggle.  I felt like I was barely treading water / just doing what I could to survive.  In today’s Scripture reading John recounts, “It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.  The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing.”  I can identify with the men in the boat, frightened already by the raging storm and then even more fearful as they saw Jesus walking on the water, “drawing near” to them.  They evidently didn’t recognize Him because their thoughts were so focused on their situation and not on our approaching Lord.  He had to verbally exhort them ... “ ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ ”

How often do I focus on a negative situation, taking it upon my own shoulders to find a solution when, the whole time Jesus is right there, ready to resolve it, remove me from it, or help me through it (in His perfect timing)?  It’s fascinating to me that Jesus not only helped the men out of the storm, He actually transported them “immediately” to “the land to which they were going.”  He pulled a “Scotty beam me up!”  (After all, He created the laws of nature so He can bend them at will, just as He did with multiplying the loaves and fishes in today’s earlier verses.)  Do I believe that Jesus can do the same for me in my times of trouble?  Admittedly, I usually do not.  Perhaps I can learn from this narrative and, the next time I find myself in a difficult place, concentrate on His amazing power and love to help alleviate all that unnecessary anxiety and heartache.

 Truly trusting Jesus, even in the midst of a tempest, can assure me that “everything will be alright” because He is by my side, working all things together for my good ... and He will always keep me afloat.