“PRAY IT FORWARD”
Mark 6:45-56
1) I still remember the first time I was able to get up on a pair of water skis. I had
tried earlier, but that particular weekend I, the young pastor, was out with the youth
group at Marion Reservoir. At least one parent had brought his ski boat and was
trying to help three of us learn to waterski. With his patience we all finally managed
to get up out of the water, but after we did he took us so far down the lake that each
of us finally tired and dropped the rope. To be honest, I was hoping to be the one
who would ski by where the rest of the group was lounging beside the water so they
could see me, but it wasn’t gonna happen, at least not that day. In the ensuing
years I have opportunities to water ski on several occasions and one time managed
to get up using just one ski. Skiing when the water was rough or when other boats
with skiers made large wakes in front of me was not much fun, but give me calm,
placid waters and it was just like I was quietly walking on the top of that water.
2) Matthew, Mark and John each tell of Jesus’ walking on the water the Sea of
Galilee yet each story is a bit different. All three place the story immediately after
the feeding of the 5000 with Jesus having gone up a mountain alone to pray.
Matthew says that Peter tried to walk on the water out to Jesus until he became
frightened and would have drowned had it not been for Jesus reaching out to him.
In the end, the disciples worshiped him and affirmed that Jesus was truly God’s
messiah. John’s account is brief: Jesus walks on water…calms the storm… they
suddenly arrive at shore. But Mark adds some odd details. One is the reference
that Jesus intended to pass by the boat as if to say to the disciples, “You handle
your own storm.” He obviously changed his mind in response to their pleas for help.
Once the storm was calmed we’re told they were astounded “for they did not
understand about the loaves but their hearts were hardened.” What was not to
understand? Jesus miraculously provided food for a large group of people. With
their assistance to gather what they had and to help distribute the food, all were fed
and there was even leftovers. Mark had already told another account of Jesus
stilling a storm at sea—maybe they should have remembered that as well.
3) The contrast here between Jesus and the disciples is stark. Jesus has spent the
entire night in solitude and prayer, which was his purpose in coming to the region in
the first place. The crowds interrupted that so he taught them and fed them. Then
he dismissed them, first the disciples and then the crowds. As Bugs Bunny might
say, “The…the…the…that’s all, folks.” Jesus did not lose sight of his purpose—he
needed time to “pray it forward” with his heavenly Father. Reading through the
Gospels we are drawn to the miracles and big events, but again and again, sometimes with his disciples in tow and sometimes by himself, Jesus retreated for prayer.
Those were power moments when Jesus could reflect and recharge for ministry.
4) The disciples are described by three words. First they were tired. Apparently
they’d been out on the water all night—yet as fishermen they should have been
used to that. But this time they were straining and struggling with the oars as a wind
had come up which was keeping them from making any progress. Unlike Matthew’s
version of a storm when they were perishing, this time they don’t seem to be in any
real danger—just worn out. We all know that feeling. It happens when you’re trying
to handle a situation without adequate rest and seldom goes well. If you’re driving
you pull off the road for a nap if you’re smart. Maybe tiredness makes you unable to
make headway cleaning the house or finishing up that project at work. You are
short with the grandkids or forget half the items on your grocery list. The disciples
would have been far better off had they sacked out on the shore, than headed out in
the morning for Bethsaida.
5) What happens next when you’re tired? You begin seeing things. The disciples
saw Jesus walking toward them and were terrified because they thought he was a
ghost. What terrifies you? Worries about getting sick? The possibility that someone
will be injured or killed in a highway accident? Lack of job security? These things
may be real concerns for many of us, yet there is a much better way to handle them
than to allow ourselves to be terrified by them. Like Jesus we can “pray it forward.”
Turn those situations over to God—ask God to watch over and protect ourselves or
others in times of danger. Prayer doesn’t insure that we won’t encounter problems,
but it can remove the terror and help us to be level-headed in our thinking and
proactive in our actions. Other than helping us to think twice about risky behavior
terror serves little or no positive purpose.
6) After Jesus calmed the storm, the disciples were astounded. What’s that mean?
Synonyms for astound include amaze, astonish, stagger, surprise, startle, stun,
confound, dumbfound, boggle, stupefy, shock, daze, take aback, leave openmouthed, leave aghast, flabbergast, or blow away. To be astounded could also
mean to be incapable of taking action. “Yes, what happened might be great, but I
don’t know how to respond or what to do next.” The thought that Jesus would watch
over them and care for them had not entered their minds, much as we sometimes
forget God’s promises for us. It may be the American way to say “I’m gonna do this
on my own even if it kills me” but it’s not God’s way for us. God invites us instead to
trust in his promises, believe in his love for us, and turn our worries and problems
over to his care. And we do that by “praying it forward.”
7) What is on your calendar for this week that scares you? A doctor’s appointment,
an interview, a challenging problem? As the old hymn says, “take it to the Lord in
prayer.” What do you really need to accomplish this week? Make a list and then
start praying as you gradually check off items. How might God want to be working
in your life this week? You’ll never know unless you offer yourself in humble prayer
and allow God to work through your life. We can’t avoid the storms of life, the
failures and frustrations, but God will see us through—just pray and believe!