Title: Take it easy, Mark 6:45-52
Mark 6:45-52 I am, take it easy.
It was a memorable day for the crowd and the disciples who ate the bread of five fish. I felt that if only Jesus was there, I could solve all life's troubles. I thought that if I could make him the only king, I would be able to solve all the problems of the colonial people, such as sorrow, hunger, and disease, at once. The disciples' hearts swelled as they dreamed of the glory they would enjoy in the kingdom where Jesus became king. Riding on the agitated crowd, I considered this opportunity to be a good opportunity to uphold Jesus as King. Jesus, foreseeing this disciple and the psychology of the crowd, immediately separated them from the crowd, sent them on a boat to Bethsaida across the Sea of Galilee, and sent them back home. And while thinking about the work of the kingdom of God to be accomplished through the cross, he stayed behind and prayed all night on the mountain. At that time, the disciples were trembling with fear when they encountered a great storm on the Sea of Galilee. Today, I would like to share with you three important facts I have learned through this incident.
I. Lord praying for us
First, the Lord is still praying for us. The Lord, who prayed with compassion for those people who were ignorant and did not understand the will of the Lord and tried to satisfy their hunger and enjoy wealth and glory as the king of the world, is still praying while looking at our lives like them who live foolishly without realizing it. The Lord, who still prays for us, has also commanded us to pray for us. He gave us the privilege of prayer and promised answers. Because the Lord is there, let us pray in times of crisis, suffering, disease, and poverty. The Lord hears our prayers.
The disciples were in the midst of suffering. However, until just before they met Jesus in the sea, they only thought about the skills of their fishermen and did not ask Jesus for help. The Bible says “The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25).
The Lord has mercy on our weakness and is still praying. Let's pray together with this Lord. In the evening, in the early morning, at the district level, at the church school, and at the end of last year, the prayer movement of young people gathering together has been taking place, and many changes and answers to prayer are appearing in our church. Because there is the Lord who prays for us, and because there are saints who pray according to the Lord's example, I believe that the restoration of the Jubilee year, liberty, and wonderful works of blessing will be abundantly revealed in our church this year.
II. The Lord sees us in our suffering
The Lord sees the suffering disciples. And you come The Lord was watching the disciples rowing in pain due to a storm around the fourth watch of the night. The disciples had thick bones in the Sea of Galilee. That is their home, and not so long ago, people caught fish there. Crossing the sea was easy for them. However, they met a storm that night, and even though they boarded a boat at sunset, they are still stuck in the middle of the sea until dawn until dawn.
Isn't that the path of our life? If you were safe yesterday, who can guarantee you are safe today? Why is it that all of a sudden, only our family, only my business, and my workplace have to suffer such difficulties? The Lord was watching the disciples agonizingly rowing in the sea of suffering like a loafers. Is there anyone who thinks that the Lord does not see my pain or ignores my pain? The Lord who heard the cries of Israel who were suffering from Pharaoh, the Lord who said to Paul in the storm of Juraculus, “Now rest in peace, there will be no damage to your life, and only this ship will be with you.” Please believe it. The Lord sees the storm you are going through. And he comes after the storm.
However, if we meditate on today's Word more deeply, we will realize that this storm was also in the Lord's plan. The disciples went the way the Lord told them to go, and they obeyed the word and got on the boat. Why did the Lord, who also rules the storm and the wind, give the disciples such a storm? Because the Lord loved His disciples, He wanted to train them and entrust them with His ministry. If you left the disciples in a storm all night to let them know that you are God and to use them as workers to accomplish His precious will, how will you accept the meaning of the storm that has been given to you? Would it hurt to just let it go?
The Lord is clearly watching and is definitely coming. The four sutras at night are between 3 and 5 in the morning. There was a storm in the early evening, so why did the Lord only come at dawn? Because it is God's time, God's time. For us, the four sutras that night may be different. Trust God's time and don't be impatient. Don't get discouraged or give up. Please believe that no matter what storm may be, there will be calm before the Lord.
Ⅲ. Lord on board
When the Lord got into the boat, the wind stopped. The disciples were very surprised. When the Lord gets on the boat of our lives, the storm will surely stop. Sorrow ceases, failure ceases, worries and anxieties cease. How difficult is our situation these days? There is nothing uneasy about children's education, business, and the future of our country. The North Korean nuclear crisis has created tensions and the crisis of war is escalating in the Middle East, but I believe that these storms will be calmed when the Lord comes. It is because God is the one who rules the country and controls the war. If we have the faith to be patient with God's time, we will never fall. If Jesus is in us, even if we fall, we will rise again. They are incompetent, but they become powerful You may seem like a failure, but He will change you into a successful life. I believe that this kind of work will surely happen within us as long as the Lord gets into the boat.
But the disciples' hearts became dull. Even though I ate the bread yesterday, my spiritual eyes were darkened and I did not recognize the Lord and regarded him as a ghost. They did not even realize the power of the Lord. Aren't we the same? It is the same thing for both of them and us to quickly forget the grace that was given to us a while ago and resent it. We desperately want to light the eyes of our spirits. Remember the voice of our Lord today. “Take it easy, I am not afraid.” The Lord sees your plight. The Lord will come to you after treading on the storm. And he says, “It is me, take it easy.” Today the Lord wants me and you to hear this voice.
District Worship Lesson
1. Summary
1) Where and what did the Lord who sent his disciples first do?
2) Why did the Lord come to the disciples only around the fourth watch of the night?
3) What did the Lord say to his disciples when he got into the boat?
2. Life application
1) If I believe that the Lord is praying for me, what should I do when I am in trouble?
2) Have you ever complained and resented because of the storm that came upon you? Why should we wait for God's timing?
3) Please tell us why you need to be courageous and not afraid in the storm you met.
3. Common prayer ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
8 How sweet are your words to me (Psalm 119:103)
1) Imitate the Lord who looks at me and prays, so that I can put more effort into prayer.
2) Wait for the Lord to come after treading on the storm, and always have patience, and allow Him to gladly take you on the voyage of my life.