Introduction
As Christians on our journey through life, it is essential that we walk with the Lord in all that we do and invite Him to walk alongside us. However, how often do we find ourselves in challenging situations and feel as though the Lord is not walking with us or watching over us? We do not see Him walking alongside us, hear His advice, or see His support. This can lead us to believe that He has rejected our prayers and passed us by. But this can occur when we fail to read and meditate on the Word of God. When we don’t stay in the Word and walk in the Word, we struggle to recognize the Lord’s voice and to heed His advice, making it difficult for us to accept His guidance and follow it. As a result, we may engage in actions that lead us into trouble, only to later receive rebuke from the Lord for failing to heed His counsel. What we truly need to do is stop, call upon His name, and trust that He will help us out of our difficult circumstances, no matter what they may be. The Bible tells the story of the Lord Jesus walking on the water, which appears in three of the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and John. We encourage all readers of this blog to read and meditate on this story along with our reflections in all three Gospels: Mark 6:45-52, Matthew 14:22-32, and John 6:15-21. In this blog post, we share this story from the Gospel of Mark and focus on a few verses unique to this Gospel that can help us reflect on how to walk with the Lord and experience His presence in our lives.
Do We See the Lord Jesus Walking with Us?
The miracle of the Lord Jesus walking on water to save His disciples clearly demonstrates that He is more than just human; He is the Lord over the winds and the sea. This miracle builds the disciples’ confidence that, indeed, He is the Son of God. Throughout the development of this event, we see that doubt and fear are strong enemies of the faith. Interestingly, the Holy Spirit provides additional insight in the Gospel of Mark, revealing that as the Lord Jesus walked on the sea, He would have passed by the disciples. Reading this, one might wonder why the Lord would pass by them when they were in so much distress.
Mark 6:45 And straightaway He compelled His disciples to enter into the boat, and to go before to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He should dismiss the multitude. 46 And having taken leave of them, He departed into the mountain to pray. 47 And evening having come, the boat was in the midst of the sea, and He alone on the land. 48 And He saw them distressed in the rowing, for the wind was contrary to them. About the fourth watch of the night He comes to them, walking on the sea, and He would have passed by them. 49 And having seen Him walking on the sea, they thought that it is a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they all saw Him, and were troubled. And straightaway He spoke with them, and says to them, Take courage: it is I; fear not. 51 And He went up to them into the boat, and the wind ceased, and they were greatly in abundance amazed in themselves; 52 for they did not understand concerning the loaves, but their heart had been hardened.
Comments Mark 6:45-52. See Comments Matthew 14:22-32 and Comments John 6:15-21.
When reading the accounts of the Lord Jesus walking on water in the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and John, one might wonder if they all describe the same event. All three Gospels present the same event. However, while all three Gospels narrate the same occurrence, they each contain slight differences that serve specific purposes. Despite these variations, none of the Gospels contradict one another. For more insights into this passage, please refer to our commentary on Matthew 14:22-32.
In Mark 6:48, we have an addition saying, “and He would have passed by them.” Here, in this encounter with the disciples, the Lord wants to strengthen their faith. What the eyes have seen, the heart must accept it, and the mind also has to acknowledge it. All must come to the conclusion that they are walking with the Lord. Maybe this is a different situation, but still the same Lord, the Lord of the land and the Lord of the water, still only One Lord over all: over life and nature, One Lord over all. Notice the three ways humans are created; now, pay attention to the details of the three ways: eyes see, the heart accepts, and the mind acknowledges. They see the Lord walking on the water, they accept it in their hearts that He is God, and then they praise Him as the Lord. Here, for the disciples themselves, the fear covered everything; how would another human be? They wouldn’t be better than them.
Verse 52 is an addition in Mark. The disciples were seeing miracles, but still didn’t understand what it meant when the Lord performed miracles for them. All miracles for the disciples were mainly to strengthen their faith so they could walk through troubles. All disciples’ faith was later challenged, and watching the Lord perform miracles would help them when the time came to face their own challenges. These miracles are for them and for all humans as well. Come and read the Word of God and see what the Lord can do.
Conclusions
Usually, when everything is going well, we often do not feel the need to turn to the Lord or listen to His voice guiding us in our hearts. However, it is essential to give thanks to Him for all aspects of our lives, to seek His guidance and protection, and to listen in all situations. We must remember that He is the same unchanging God, greater than all our circumstances. Throughout our lives, the Lord may perform many miracles, but we sometimes attribute these occurrences to our own efforts or view them as mere coincidences. When our faith is challenged, we should pause and reflect on all the things the Lord has done for us. This reflection can encourage us and remind us that He does not abandon or forget us. The Lord always sees our troubles and shows us mercy in our suffering, but we need to ask for His help, recognize Him as our Lord and Savior, and give Him the honor He alone deserves. We should cry out to Him, just as Peter did when he began to sink in the water, saying from the depths of his heart, “Lord, save me” (Matthew 14:30). When faced with challenges, Peter’s immediate response was to call out to the Lord. It’s important to note that Peter asked, “Lord, save me,” which carries a deeper meaning than simply saying, “Lord, help me.” While anyone can turn to the Lord in times of trouble, we must approach Him in faith, without doubt.
When reflecting on the story of the Lord Jesus walking on the water, one might think, “Well, I don't see the Lord Jesus physically walking on the earth anymore.” However, the Bible teaches us in the Gospel of John 1:1 that the Lord Jesus is “the Word,” and that “the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Lord gave the Bible to all of humanity. We can see the Word of God in the Bible with our eyes, and we can read and meditate on the Word of God. Therefore, what the eyes can see, the heart must accept, and the mind must acknowledge. As followers of the Lord Jesus, we are called to believe in all the miracle stories recorded in the Bible and to accept them as real, because the Lord Jesus is the Son of God and God in the Trinity of God. We must have faith in every word written in the Bible. We must have faith that if we give our hearts to the Lord, He will come and make a home with us, as long as we do not deny Him (John 14:23), and He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5, Deuteronomy 31:6-8).
To experience the Lord’s presence in our lives, we must surrender our hearts to Him, read the Word of God, meditate on it, and put His teachings into practice. We must be baptized in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (as stated in Matthew 28:19) and also seek the baptism in the Holy Spirit (referenced in Acts 2). By doing this, the Trinity of God is pleased with us, and the Holy Spirit draws near to us; He won’t pass us by.
Meditation Tasks
- We encourage all readers of this blog article to reflect on how they can see the presence of the Lord Jesus in their lives. Additionally, we recommend that you check out our blog article titled “Lead Me to the Rock That Is Higher Than I.”