The superhero within us.

“And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them” Mark 6:48b

The title sounds motivational and inspirational and a statement meant to draw us to feel good, but the truth of the matter is that God has indeed put that ‘superhero’ within us.

No, it is not a power that awakens because of some X-men factor, but faith in Christ that empowers us to act in any situation we find ourselves in.

This story in Mark 6 finds the disciples in a boat and they were crossing to another side of the sea. The situation was adverse – the wind was against them and they found it difficult to proceed. It was in the dead of the night that they saw a figure walking on the water towards them. Perhaps none of disciples had seen Jesus do it before, or perhaps this took place before that incident with Peter on the water with Jesus, but somehow or rather, they missed the lesson right off the bat.

Notice that the verse tells that Jesus ‘meant to pass by them’. In other words, He was not on the way to rescue them from their problem. He was about to wave at them struggling and perhaps, even throw in a cheeky smile while He whizzed past them on the water. Back in the military when I was still a conscripted trainee, reading that makes Jesus look like a sadistic instructor gloating over the misfortunes of His disciples.

But knowing His heart and reading it into this situation, it presents us with a very powerful lesson – that when God does not step into our situation and seems to pass us by, He wants us to master over it ourselves. Employ wisdom and understanding, exercise faith and the power of the Holy Spirit – those means are already within us and it behoves us to make full use of them.

What storm are you in today? Begin to master it. If God has meant to pass you by, it means He is confident of you overcoming it.

If you feel overwhelmed or unable to do so, always remember that He is just a call away. He stepped into the disciples’ boat and the most comforting words they could hear were “Take heart, it is I. Do not be afraid.”

Rest in His presence, promise and power.