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.
The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Jn 6:16–18.
Still amazed and astonished at the miracle on the hill, the feeding of the five thousand, the disciples made their way to the boat as Jesus instructed. As they made their way across the calm sea they couldn’t imagine how anything could bring their spirits down. Then came the wind and waves. Conditions so rough that even those who were seasoned fishermen wondered how they would avoid sinking.
Most of us have been there. In the blink of an eye things went from awesome to awful with little to no warning. Even today, when the wind is taken from our sails, we ask God for a hand. Im sure some of the disciples did the same thing. And there he was. They didn’t recognize Him at first but their hope was realized when Jesus identified Himself.
We think to ourselves sometimes while we are in the spiritual valley, how much worse can it get? How about going below the valley floor to sea level like these guys. They literally went from the mountain to BELOW the valley.
If you’re not in the valley now you will be, either by God’s design or His allowing it. The important piece of information to have is that God is in control of it all. Invite Him into your boat and know that as long as He is with you fear can’t overcome you. A servant without fear is a powerful thing.