Day 14 | March 17 | Mark 6:45-56

Sailing through life can be difficult, especially during times of storms and high winds. Many times God sends us out on our own to deal with these types of trials.

Jesus did just that with his disciples in these verses. They had just fed the five thousand and were tired and Jesus made them go ahead of him on a boat with no rest. That's the way life is for us from time to time. So, how do we deal with these types of trials within our lives?

Note, that as soon as the disciples left, Jesus left for the mountain to pray. Jesus always had time to pray. Jesus went through trials himself while he was here on earth and he always prayed and asked for help from His Father.

What about your own life? When you are facing trials do you utilize prayer to ask for help like Jesus did? Do you pray only if you have time and something urgent to pray about? Is your prayer time short and sweet? Or do you have quality time and make sure you hear from God? God's Word and prayer are the most basic spiritual disciplines. We cannot be growing Christians without them.

In the evening, Jesus noticed the disciples straining at the oars, but he did not go and help them immediately. He let them experience the trials of high winds on a boat. In Romans 5:3-5, God's Word tells us that he sometimes allows us to experience trials in order to develop character and learn we need to rely on him.

Jesus then went out to them walking on water. The disciples cried out to him because they were terrified. Jesus says, “Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid”. He climbs into the boat with them, and the wind calms down. They were completely amazed.

So, don't grow bitter with God if he doesn't immediately save you from the trials of life. God is always nearby and will step in when we need him to, not necessarily when we want him to. When facing trials, we should immediately recognize we need God's help and seek him out in prayer!