Have you ever faced a problem and then tried to solve it, only to make it worse? If you answered yes, you aren’t alone. Jesus’ handpicked twelve disciples managed to fall prey to the same problem. Today, a devotional from Steve Brown.
Brown suggests we can learn a lot from looking at the mistakes made by the disciples….and then avoiding them. Using the story of a storm they faced while on a lake from Mark chapter six, Brown sees several mistakes the disciples made that are dangers for us as well.
First, They Thought Jesus Was Unaware of their problem. They were in a boat stuck in the middle of a lake while Jesus was on land. They thought he was unaware of their plight.
But Mark 6:47-48 tells us that’s not the case: “When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them” Jesus was well aware of their situation, and he is of ours too. Don’t ever forget that.
They Thought Their Problems Were Worse than they really were. Jesus knew the problem was not as bad as the disciples thought it was. He looked at them and knew they were having trouble; he knew they had to row hard. But that was good for them. He knew they were not going to sink.
They Confused the Solution with the Problem. If you want to make your problems worse, see every problem as an accident. If you want to make your problems better, learn to see God’s hand in them. Learn to listen carefully and you can hear Christ’s words, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid”
They Failed to Realize that Jesus Could Still the Storm. The disciples refused to let past victories deal with present panic.