Mark 6:48 – He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them…
As we now leave 2020 behind, the year that many want to forget, 2021 might just be a defining and polarising year as the world begins to find its footing in the midst of vaccines to inoculate people from a mutating virus strain.
What we need to realise is that there is no 100% success rate and typically with vaccines taking years to develop, these first batches that are being rushed out from the assembly line and applied in this manner can only mean that there are side effects not accounted for, that will likely only show up years down the road. Apparently, the current and upcoming pain far outweighs future problems as various governments now take measured risks to deal with crushing problems from economic slowdown to job losses from border closures, social and domestic issues from lockdowns, and of course, COVID-resultant political implications downstream.
As individuals, we need to start pivoting and start thinking beyond the present. That company that you work for may not make it through after stimulus taps go off. That client that you are contracted to bill may already be defaulting on loans and will not be able to make it through the payment cycle. The income streams may well be going dry. Endless piles of debt with creditors knocking everywhere.
The polarisation will become even greater entering into 2021 as the disparity between haves and have-nots widen further, and as aid and stimulus wind down across various economies.
I am reminded about Jesus crossing the lake in the middle of the night whilst the wind was against the boat and the disciples were struggling to make it across the lake.
One sentence stood out to me in Mark 6:48 – He intended to pass them by. Jesus did not even have the intent to rescue at all. And that is important for us to note. In a Pentecostal/Charismatic setting where we are all “crying out” for God to extend His hand into our situation, this verse reminds us that He can well do the opposite. And that is not because He does not love us. When we fail to see that, we keep defaulting on our God-given authority and position and use His name as a crutch for rescue each time.
Will He rescue us?
Well, yes, as we can see in the story, that Jesus eventually did move in to help the disciples. But His original intent was not to. And again, this is not because He does not love them. But because He wants them to activate what they have within them to overcome the situation. It was basically a test of the moment which He was there to watch them – like a master-disciple training moment. Of course, we know the story – the disciples CMI (in colloquial term, Cannot Make It). And that was where Jesus stepped in.
Dear friend, God has invested within you the very ability to overcome any situation of your life. The tools are all available for you to not just merely survive but to thrive. Let’s determine in our hearts that 2021 will be a year that we will glorify Him in the midst of polarising circumstance and receive big breakthroughs for our lives!