Struggling to believe

Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid."  And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well. - Mark 6:45‭-‬56 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Leadership is very difficult during this time. Please pray for the pastors & elders. We've just started to come out of a pandemic and now civil turmoil over long-standing injustice.

Learn to withdraw

Jesus sends the disciples and crowds away. Then he goes and withdraws from everyone. Jesus had done these miracles and the crowds were getting their own ideas. They wanted to make him king by force. Jesus wanted follow God's will, to bring a heavenly kingdom by sacrifice. Jesus was interested in God's ends and God's means. So it is with us. We need to withdraw from the world to recenter on God. To not get caught up in purely human striving, but rather to work in God's strength. 

Learn to refocus/repent

The disciples were scared when they first saw Him. They thought Jesus was a ghost. A spirit of the night come to bring disaster. These disciples had seen so many of Jesus' miracles, not to mention the feeding of the crowd just earlier. Their hearts were hardened.. If this is the state of the disciples, then even moreso for us. We need to listen to God and the Spirit. We need to ask God to look within for our sinful ways and repent.

Look within

"Take heart, it is I do not be afraid. It is I." Jesus says. We are exhausted straining against the wind. But who has power over the wind? Who can can a storm with His word? Jesus comes to us in the midst of our struggle. He stepped into the boat. So it is with us. He took up our burden when he was on the cross. He took on the hostility and reconciled everyone to himself and each other.

"When it feels like nothing working, God is." - Lecrae