A friend of mine recently sent me thought from her devotional time in Mark 6. I thought it was a great perspective, so I wanted to share!
"I’m in Mark now and I’m reading in chapter 6 about Jesus walking on water. Mark's account has less detail than Matthew's, but there is a part of verse 48 that is not in Matthew's account that I think makes such an incredible difference to know. It says, “...shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the sea. He was about to pass by them...” And then first 49 picks up with them seeing Him.
But that last section of verse 48 says He was about to pass by them.
Jesus new where He would be at that exact moment even after sending them into the water on a boat so that He could go to the mountainside to pray. He knew this storm would arise, shake their them to the core, and make them doubt everything they were beginning to believe. He knew that their dependence on Him would be required for them to fully recognize their faith and the power that it held.
His presence in our storms isn’t in question, it’s our acknowledgement of it that is. He can’t make us see what we aren’t focusing on, we have to change our focus before that opportunity for dependence and faith building escapes us.
He promises us He’ll be there, our part is to not miss it. I think we expect Him to jump in so unmistakably that He practically slaps us in the face and saves the day and when that doesn’t happen, we react in our flesh. His heart is for us when our own hearts betray us - the perfect antidote to our own destruction."
~ Sarah H.