SCRIPTURE: Mark (NIV) 6:49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.
OBSERVATION: To me, this verse is a strong indication that they had taken along with them one or two of the left-overs from the earlier dinner. They had in the boat evidence of God’s miraculous provision. They had in the boat evidence that Jesus could impower them to do as He commanded, after all, it was He who commanded them to feed the 5000, and then He provided the food for them to do so. It was He who told them to go to the other side, and He would empower them to do so.
APPLICATION: So often, we need but to look around to find evidence of God’s great intervention in our lives. In our homes, we have “basketfulls” of left-overs from some previous miracle. Let’s not let our hearts become “hardened” so that we forget and cannot see what is so obvious.
God told me that my bus driving was over. He did not say that my living in His provision was over. As long as I am faithful to do as He directs, I can rest assured that He will continue to provide. My faith was not in the bus company, my faith was in God. My faith is still in God. What He provided through the bus company, He will now provide through another source—probably for the next six months or a year, through the VA as a pension from cancer that is associated with agent orange being used in the areas we traversed in Viet Nam. When this gets cleared up, God will provide through another means! That is the way He is. I am faithful to do as He says; He is faithful to provide and do what is needed for me to complete His assignment.
PRAYER: Lord, keep me in step with you, not lagging behind nor running ahead. May I live and move with an awareness of your wonderful presence. Amen
Pastor Leon
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