The sermon yesterday focused on Matthew 6 when Jesus fed the crowds and then sent the disciples across the lake while he went to the mountatin to pray. The disciples obeyed Jesus and then was up against the wind, slowing their journey across the lake until the 4th watch of the night…about 3 a.m. That had to have been some wind!

The preacher (okay, it’s hard to call my husband the preacher) related this passage to Moses. What, you say? Yes, God fed the Israelites: Jesus fed the multitudes. God told the Israelites to walk through the path he opened in the sea: Jesus told the disciples to cross the lake and meet him there.

Here is where the difference occurred. Later God told Moses he would not go with them for He was angry with them, but Moses told God unless His presence went with them, please do not send them. The disciples on the other hand went across the lake on their own. What would have happened if they insisted on staying with Jesus to pray? Or insisted Jesus go up with them? I wonder…

Those disciples got in the boat and crossed the lake. At Jesus’ command. But…the wind was against them. So much so that it took hours, and they were unsuccessful. It was 3 a.m. and they still had not reached the other side of the lake. The were distressed at seeing Jesus on the water. They were afraid.

Isn’t that just like us? We feel the call of God and go out in our own strength to do God’s work. We do not go in His presence. We do not go IN Jesus.

How many times have you stepped out after hearing God call, but came up against the wind? Are you going in His presence or are you doing things your way FOR him and not IN Him?

This is not to say that going with and in the presence of Jesus makes our way easy and free from struggle. On the contrary, we are not guaranteed a life of ease. We will always have wind come our way because of the world we live in.

But if we find ourselves getting caught up in the struggle and often feel defeated or afraid, we might look to see if we are relying on God or relying on our own strength.

I just love it when I feel like God has spoken to my heart!