DWELLING AND RESTING
They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified.
Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened. Mark 6:49-52
Men in need! Terrified of their circumstances! Not expecting Jesus to come to them on the water, they saw a “ghost” walking towards them. Whatever lesson Jesus was teaching them would have been lost to them at that moment. Fear cancelled out everything else. Jesus’ compassion took over, and He was quick to identify Himself and to comfort them. They had a long way to go before they could take on the world.
Although they were beginning to be convinced that Jesus was the Son of God, the disciples had not yet made the connection between themselves and Him as personally involved in their lives. Were they still treating Him as a religious figure to be worshipped but not yet one they could trust with their entire lives? It took a long time to make that transition and to realise that His coming from the Father was for them and for everyone who will entrust their lives to Him completely.
Anna (Mr God, This Is Anna – Fynn) said that the greatest thing God created was the seventh day. When He started His creative work, the earth was in darkness and chaos. He took six days to sort out the muddle and bring order to the planet. When He had completed His work, He rested – implying that He had brought perfection out of chaos and everything was in order.
The fact that the disciples reacted in this way to Jesus and their circumstances meant that they were not yet part of God’s seventh day rest. Every time we embrace God’s way in another part of our lives – in our believing the truth, renewing our minds and expressing God’s peace, we take a step nearer to God’s Sabbath.
Psalm 91:1 tells us how to do it – dwelling and resting. It takes our choices, actions and reactions to let go of our way in Adam and to remain “in Christ”. He has made this possible by reconciling us to the Father by His atoning sacrifice, but God will not do our part for us – practising and growing our awareness that we are in Christ, He is in us and living our lives in and out of Him.