“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.” John 6:16-17
The second reason why God allows Christians to struggle is to EDUCATE US ABOUT HIS PLAN (John 6:16-18). “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.” (John 6:16-17). The disciples were being obedient to Christ. He commanded them to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. “Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.” (Matthew 14:22). This was His plan for them while He went up on the mountain to pray (cf. Matthew 14:23).
So the disciples started to cross over the Sea toward Capernaum, but trouble was coming. A story is told about a tourist who was sports fishing off a Florida beach, and he capsized his boat. He could swim, but his fear of alligators kept him clinging to the overturned craft. Spotting an old beachcomber standing on the shore, the tourist shouted, “Are there any gators around here?!” “Naw,” the man hollered back, “they ain’t been around for years!” Feeling safe, the tourist started swimming leisurely toward the shore. About halfway there he asked the guy, “How’d you get rid of the gators?” “We didn’t do nothin’,” the bum said. “The sharks got ’em.”
Just like this man, the disciples were in a heap of trouble. It was getting dark, but more importantly, Jesus had not come to them. They had started rowing across the Sea of Galilee toward Capernaum, but stayed close to shore, because they were going to pick up Jesus along the way. But it was not working out that way. “Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.” (John 6:18). A strong northwesterly wind began to blow, driving them farther and farther south, so much so, that they lost sight of shore and the possibility of picking up Jesus.
The sea of Galilee is 600 feet below sea level, in a cuplike depression. When the sun sets, the air cools and rushes down over the hillside, resulting in winds churning the sea. Since the disciples were rowing toward Capernaum, they were heading directly into the wind, making very little progress. Matthew is very graphic in describing the storm. “But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.” (Matthew 14:24). The storm was raging. The wind was against them. The waves were immense. The sea was engulfing their boat and threatening their lives. Although these fishermen had experienced storms before, their experience probably taught them that you don’t go out on the lake in this kind of weather!
Imagine how the disciples must have felt. Here they were trying to cross the sea just like Jesus told them to do, but the storm prevented them from fulfilling Christ’s command. They were exerting themselves to the max against the winds and the waves, yet they were unable to make any headway. They must have felt alone. After all, Jesus had sent them out here. Did He somehow forget all about them? Didn’t Jesus care about the fact that they could lose their lives in this storm? What was going on?
Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever wanted God to use you only to have your life become more difficult? You know what God wants you to do, but circumstances don’t allow you to do it? You try with all your might and strength to obey the Lord, but you can’t go where God wants you to go. You can’t do what God has told you to do. And you feel as though God has betrayed you. Like He has played some mean trick on you and set you up for failure. Why does this happen? Why do people who want to be used by God find themselves facing more problems? Problems too big to overcome in their own strength. Because God is trying to teach us about His plan. His plan cannot be carried out without His power. As long as we keep trying to do the will of God in our own strength, we will fail.
Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). God never expected us to live the Christian life on our own. We must let God live the Christian life through us. What this means is you must come to the end of yourself. And often times a storm will bring us to that point where we give up on ourselves and give in to God.
When I was about seventeen years of age on a canoe trip in Minnesota’s boundary waters with my church youth group, my Dad and I had to paddle across a large lake with two passengers in our canoe. I was in the front of the boat and my Dad was in the rear, with our passengers on the floor of the canoe between us. One of our passengers had accidentally made a deep cut across her hand while whittling on a piece of wood at our campsite. We left half of our camping group at the campsite to take the woman to a ranger’s cabin to radio for medical assistance. When we were in the middle of the lake about a half mile from the shore, I looked behind me to see a storm heading toward us with a wall of torrential rain. The wind was blowing extremely hard now, causing the waves to rise above our canoe. I felt helpless and out of control. My only recourse was to cry out to God for help.
When I did, my Dad and I could see a light swinging from the ranger’s cabin on the shore, about a quarter of a mile from us. Eventually we were able to safely arrive at the shore only to discover that the ranger cabin had been vacated. After the storm passed, my Dad and I paddled all the way back to our campsite with our passengers. I will never forget God’s presence with us in that storm.
God allows storms in our lives to educate us about His plan for our lives. He uses difficulties to bring us to the end of ourselves so we will surrender more fully to Him.
Prayer: Gracious Lord of the universe, thank You for teaching me about Your plan for my life through the storms You send my way. Many times I have set out to do Your will only to be impeded by a storm. Each storm has a common theme – to bring me to the point where I give up on myself and give in to You. You alone have the power to carry out Your plan for my life. Every storm reminds me of this important truth. Apart from You I can do nothing of eternal value. Right now my Lord and my God, I surrender everything to You. I give all that I have to You, Father, to You, Jesus, and to You, Holy Spirit. In Jesus’s name. Amen.