What happens when obedience leads to struggle? Matt Edmundson explores the story of Jesus walking on water — not just as a spectacular miracle, but as a picture of how God meets us in our storms. Discover why the disciples were in that boat in the first place, why Jesus waited so long to help, and what it means to "not yield to fear." This is for anyone who's straining at the oars and wondering if God sees.
01When You're Rowing Hard But Getting Nowhere
Sometimes it can feel like you're doing everything right, but life keeps pushing back. You're rowing as hard as you can, but you're not getting anywhere. The wind is against you, the darkness is closing in, and God seems strangely silent.
In this blog post, based on a talk by Matt Edmundson, we explore one of the most dramatic stories in the Gospels — Jesus walking on water. But this isn't just about a miracle that defies physics. It's about what happens when God leads us into storms, watches us struggle, and then shows up in ways we never expected.
02When Obedience Leads to Struggle
We are looking at Mark 6:45-52.
Here's something that might surprise you: the disciples were in that storm because they obeyed Jesus.
After feeding the 5,000, Jesus told them to get in the boat and sail across the lake. At night. Which was something fishermen just didn't do. The Sea of Galilee was notorious for sudden storms, and without GPS or lights, sailing at night was genuinely dangerous.
But they did it anyway. They trusted Jesus and got in the boat.
And then everything went wrong.
As Matt pointed out, "There are sometimes when God leads us and takes us to places and we're like, God, what is going on? Can you please tell me? Because I just don't get it."
Sound familiar?
03Character Over Comfort
Matt shared a quote that's equal parts challenging and uncomfortable: "God's more interested in my character than he is interested in my comfort."
It's not what we want to hear. But when you look at this story, it's hard to argue with. Jesus could have calmed the storm before it started. He could have teleported across the lake. He could have done any number of things to make this easier for his friends.
Instead, he let them struggle.
Peter — who was in that boat — later wrote something fascinating about suffering. He said that when we share in difficulties, we "can share in the revelation of his glory and celebrate with even greater gladness."
In other words, sometimes the struggle is where the revelation happens. The disciples saw something that night they would never have witnessed from a comfortable shore: Jesus walking on stormy water, proving that even the chaos is under his feet.
04He Sees You Straining
Here's a detail that's easy to miss. The passage says Jesus "could see that they were straining at the oars, trying to make headway."
But Jesus was on land. The disciples were in the middle of a lake that's about 64 square miles — roughly the size of Washington DC. There's no way he could have seen them naturally.
This was supernatural sight. From miles away, through the darkness and the storm, Jesus saw exactly what was happening.
Matt put it simply: "Sometimes God can feel far away. We're in the middle of this and God is removed from it. But he still sees us and he's aware of what is happening around us."
That matters. Because when you're straining at the oars and getting nowhere, it can feel like nobody notices. But he does.
05Why Did He Wait So Long?
This is where the story gets uncomfortable. The disciples had been struggling all night. Hours of rowing, getting nowhere, probably terrified. And Jesus watched.
It wasn't until "almost morning" — somewhere between 3am and 6am — that he finally walked out to them.
Why the delay?
Matt was honest: "I don't think I know exactly why he waited. I just know that he did. Which leads me to the conclusion that sometimes I just have to say to myself, regardless of what's going on, Jesus sees me. But he's gonna do this according to his timetable, not mine."
That's hard to accept when you're in the middle of the storm. When you're looking for work and doors keep slamming. When the relationship isn't healing. When the diagnosis hasn't changed.
But here's what Matt has learned: "Don't waste a good trial."
Because at some point — maybe not when we expect — Jesus shows up.
06Did Jesus Really Walk on Water?
Let's address the elephant in the room. Did this actually happen?
Matt was direct about it: "I believe wholeheartedly Jesus walked on water because I believe wholeheartedly Jesus was God. And God can do that kind of stuff."
He quoted MIT professor Ian Hutchinson, who defined a miracle as "an extraordinary act of God by which God upholds part of the universe in a manner different from normal."
And journalist Rebecca McLaughlin, who wrote: "To believe in the God of the Bible who created the universe and not to believe in miracles is rather obtuse."
The point isn't whether we can explain it scientifically. The point is what it reveals about who Jesus is.
In the Old Testament, Job says about God: "He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea." When Jesus walked on water, he was doing something that scripture said only God could do.
07Do Not Yield to Fear
When the disciples saw Jesus walking towards them, they didn't fall to their knees in worship. They screamed.
They thought he was a ghost.
Which is actually quite relatable. When something happens that we can't explain — when God shows up in unexpected ways — our first instinct isn't always faith. Sometimes it's fear.
But look at what Jesus said: "Do not yield to fear. Have courage. It's really me. I am."
Matt loved that phrase "do not yield." It doesn't mean fear won't show up. It means we don't have to let it win.
"Don't let it have first place," Matt explained. "It's there. We see it, we acknowledge it. But fear is not gonna win. And that choice is actually yours and mine."
08When Jesus Gets in the Boat
Here's the moment everything changes. Jesus climbed into the boat "and immediately the stormy wind became still."
Not before. Not while he was walking on water. Only when he got in the boat with them.
There's something beautiful there. Jesus doesn't just calm our storms from a distance. He gets in the boat with us. He enters the chaos. He's present in the middle of it.
And that's when things start to settle.
09The Lesson They Missed
The story ends with a striking observation. The disciples were "completely and utterly overwhelmed with astonishment because they failed to learn the lesson of the miracle of the loaves and their hearts were unwilling to learn the lesson."
Just hours earlier, they'd watched Jesus feed 5,000 families with five loaves and two fish. But somehow that miracle hadn't prepared them for this one.
As Matt noted, "Miracles don't teach you anything. They show you that God is real. They show you that God is above nature and natural stuff. But it's up to you and it's up to me to understand the lessons from those."
We can witness amazing things and still miss the point. The invitation is to stay teachable — to keep asking God what he's trying to show us.
10What This Means for Monday Morning
Here's where this gets practical:
Trust the process, even when it doesn't make sense. The disciples were in the storm because they obeyed. Sometimes obedience leads to difficulty before it leads to breakthrough.
Remember that God sees you. Even when he feels distant, even when the struggle is invisible to everyone else, he knows exactly what you're going through.
Be patient with God's timing. He works on his timetable, not yours. That doesn't mean he's forgotten you.
Don't yield to fear. It will show up. You don't have to give it first place.
Stay teachable. When God does something in your life, ask what he's trying to show you. Don't miss the lesson.
11A Story Worth Remembering
Matt shared a personal story that brings this home. Years ago, he believed God had promised him a business — a company selling saunas and steam rooms. But then someone else bought it. He had a newborn baby and no income.
"God, it's gonna be interesting to see how you sort this drama out," he remembers thinking.
Five years later, that same business was offered to him for free. The manufacturer came to him and said they wanted him back.
"Five years was a long time," Matt admitted. "Being patient during that time was tricky and difficult. But at the end of those five years, God came through. He works on his timetable."
12A Question Worth Asking
What storm are you in the middle of right now? And what would change if you believed that Jesus could see you straining at the oars — even from a distance, even in the dark?
Maybe the miracle isn't that the storm stops immediately. Maybe the miracle is that he walks across the chaos to get to you.
Because that's what this story tells us about who Jesus is. He's not distant. He's not disinterested. He's the God who treads on the waves of the sea — and climbs into the boat to be with us.
Topics in this talk
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Jesus walks on water - Mark 6_45-52 [00:00:00] Hello and welcome to Frontline City as we broadcast again, live to the nations from my shed here in Liverpool. Uh, it's great to have you with us. Great. Uh, if you are joining us online either via Facebook, uh, we're on Facebook Live and we're also on the website. So hopefully you're finding us through one of the channels, uh, and seeing us now. Now, uh, we have got, um, uh, a bunch of stuff going on today. We've got Sharon who's gonna be doing the notices in a second. We've got an update from Abby. We're gonna be talking about did Jesus really walk on water and what that actually means. So what we're gonna be doing all of that in today's chat, as well as having, uh, the questions and stuff after. So, yeah, it's great. I hope you're having a good, a good day so far. Do write [00:01:00] in the comment and let us know you are here. Um, hi Wayne. Great. You could join us, bud. How you doing? Hope you're doing all right. Thanks for the comment. I can put that actually on the little stream here. So Wayne says, Hey. Hey Wayne. It's great to have you. Uh, let us know if you are watching via Facebook. You can write in the comments. Uh, it's always great to hear from new folks. We are gonna do some more comments and conversations later, um, around the topic that we're talking about, which is great. So, whew, hope you've got all of that. Uh, we are gonna get into it. So without further ado, let's bring in, uh, my beautiful wife who, uh, is also joining us via Skype. She could be so next to me, but why make it easy, right when actually you can do it like this. So babe, over to you for the notices. Hi everyone. I hope you're okay. Um, this is a really strange season, isn't it? For some people it's probably even busier than usual. For other [00:02:00] people it's probably quite quiet. And then for others, just a bit different. But I think for all of us, it's a chance to actually reevaluate life and just think about what's important. Now, I've been reading this fabulous book, um. I always forget the title, the Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. Uh, it's full of really fabulous things, but I just wanna talk about one of them briefly today. Um, and it does link into our note one, the first notice. So bear with me. Um, basically in the book he talks about being a follower of Jesus is not just about listening to his teaching, but it's about living his lifestyle as well. That is to follow his rhythms and routines because they bring life to us. And one of the main rhythms of Jesus' life was to spend time each day in at the presence of his father, sometimes just in solitude and silence. Um, other times, maybe just chatting things over, um, listening, just hanging out, um, and. You may be someone who already has good [00:03:00] rhythms in your life for connecting with God, but if not, there are some resources on the Frontline website, um, or the Frontline app that can help you. Um, so while we're all in this lockdown mode, pastor John and the team are posting stuff every day to help, um, as connect with God. So that includes, um, Bible reading and some thoughts. Um, there's a worship song, there's a promise and a Prayer, and then at seven o'clock, um, you can join Facebook Live where everyone can pray together. So, um, yeah, and maybe, I dunno if you could do this, like you could share some of the, your rhythms that help you with connect with God via. Like your typing thing now. Um, that'd be great. So second notice is on Wednesdays we meet via Zoom at seven 30 and that's for a catch up and for Prayer. And last week we actually played a game as well. So do join us then. That would be great. Um, the third, um, thing really is to just wanna pray together [00:04:00] now for our NHS and for the government. So I dunno if any of you joined, um, eight o'clock one evening during the week. The clap for the NHSI was on our doorstep clapping for a few seconds, felt very strange, but it was great to hear people down the street clapping. Um, and Sarah, who's part of Frontline City here, um, she's an a and e consultant. She's currently at work and we've also got Deanna, who's a student nurse, who is gonna actually be working in the NHS sooner than expected because of the crisis. So. It'd be great to pray for them, um, and also for our government, because the Bible says, um, or tells us to pray for our government. It doesn't matter whether we agree with them or not or like what they're doing, but let's be supportive and pray. Um, and I know, um, I was speaking to Sarah's husband, Martin earlier who said that I think the NHS staff would really appreciate us actually listening to the government advice and, um, doing the social distancing and all [00:05:00] that because it helps them. So let's look out for them, um, and not overload our NHS with, um, lots of new cases. So let's just pray now together. Well, I'll pray and you can join in, in your homes. Yeah. Father, I wanna thank you for all of those working in healthcare to look after us right now. I pray that you would give them wisdom in dealing with all the cases coming in. I pray that you would help 'em to be compassionate, where they might be fatigued of being compassionate. And I pray you'd help them deal with the difficult situations that they're facing. And, uh, father, for our government as well. Lord, I pray for wisdom. I pray for wisdom that goes beyond, um, the natural information that they're getting. It goes beyond the scientific information that they're getting about how to deal with this, but it comes directly from you. Um, yeah. So pray for wisdom for them and father, for our nation. At this time, [00:06:00] we pray that more people would turn to you and experience your presence. Oh, amen. Okay, so final notice. Matt's already mentioned Abby. Um, Abby is, uh, part of Frontline city and she was away. And now she's back, but she's recorded something so you can listen to her tell you about it in her own words. You can indeed. So here's Abby. Hello. Good afternoon everybody. Um, we are here on Sunday afternoon. Um, all of you guys are probably sitting comfy on your sofas or wherever you are. I'm as well. I'm not gonna lie to you. I'm wearing my pajamas. Um, I've put on some mascara for you guys really pushing the boat out this afternoon. Um, so for those of you who don't know me, my name's Abby. Um, I am on the core team of Frontline City. Um. So some of you guys might remember me from [00:07:00] ages ago when I was at church. Um, if you do, congratulations. Um, if not, if you don't know me, um, then hopefully you will soon when we're back at church. Um, but for now, it's lovely to meet you. It's lovely to see you. Um, I have been gone for the last couple of months. Um, I've been living in Amsterdam, um, doing a discipleship training school with the Christian organization, ywam, which stands for Youth Mission. Um, and Matt just asked me to do a quick update about my life, what's going on, what I've been doing. Um, yes. So I've been living in Amsterdam, um, in an amazing Christian community. Um, and honestly living, living there for the past few months has just been the most amazing thing. Um, yeah, and just living with people who, um, are just chasing after Jesus with their whole hearts. Um, it's just so contagious and, um, yeah, it's just been the best environment to be [00:08:00] in. Um, so what have I been doing? Well, our kind of general weekly routine, um, is very, was very packed. Um, so we would have lectures each week. Um, so every week there'd be a new topic. Um, so some of the topics that we looked at was the character and nature of God, um, following Jesus Holy Spirit and prophecy, um, the Kingdom of God. Um, we also looked at God's heart for missions, um, and what it looks like for us to share our faith. We looked at relationships, um, yeah, and just other amazing topics. And now that I am home in England due to COVID-19, um, I'll be continuing those lectures online. Um, yeah, and it's just been so amazing and refreshing to, um, yeah, just get that input from people that have so much wisdom. Um, and one of the principles of YWAM is do first, then teach. Um, so just being taught by those people who have [00:09:00] really done all of those things before, have experienced, um, for example, truly what it looks like to follow Jesus. Um, yeah, over a long period of time. Um, and just being yeah, sewn into by those people that are truly, um, kind of done and experienced those things. Um, before, before me, before us. Um, it's just been really amazing. Um, we also had a week of Dutch outreach. Um, so me and eight other students went to a town called Ingre, which is about an hour and a half south of Amsterdam. Um, and there we got to partner with the pioneering Y one base. Um, so we, our schedule was amazing. We got to do, um, so me and three other two other people, um, run a mini DTS. Um, about the Holy Spirit, which was amazing. Um, we got to, um, run youth groups, um, do evangelism in the city, [00:10:00] um, yeah. And just partner with those of different organizations and ministries, um, in that area. Um, and it was just incredible to see like what God did through us. 'cause I think at that point we'd had like four weeks of lectures, um, and I was like, I'm not ready to do outreach. Like, I don't know enough stuff, I'm not ready. Um, yeah, my friends were feeling the same way, but actually just like being given that opportunity to just step out and be obedient to God and just see completely how his power is made perfect in our weakness. Um, yeah, we, I mean I definitely felt very weak and very unready. Um, but yeah, I think in when we are in that space, that is when God works most powerly through us, because, you know, we don't have that pride getting in the way. We don't have. Um, kind of overthinking, getting in the way, but actually it's like, okay, God, I can't do this. You do it through me. Um, yeah, so that was a really amazing experience as well. Um, so sadly we are not doing our, um, [00:11:00] big outreach, um, our outreach phase, um, that was meant to happen at the start of April. Obviously we're not doing that anymore because we can't travel anywhere. Um, yes, so that is a shame, but actually I know that there is, um, so much hope and purpose in this time, um, that we are in and just really making the most of this time in the wilderness. Um, God's been speaking to me about, um, the time that we see in the gospels of Jesus and the wilderness. Um, you know, where he was being tested and wrestling with God and, and just growing through, through that time, um, of being in isolation, of being alone. Um, and I think there's so much power when we really, um, allow. Um, ourselves to make the most of that time. Um, yeah, so it has really been challenging me to, yeah, just really make the most of this time, this free time that we have, this alone time that we have, um, just to really press into, press into God, learn more about him, um, in that kind of [00:12:00] secret place and that hidden place. Um, yeah, so I'd encourage you to do the same, um, because like whenever do we get this time when the government's like, stay at home rest, don't do this, don't do that. Like obviously it has its very unfortunate limitations, but actually I think we can really make the most of just being, still being at home. Um, yes. So it is so good to be back with you all. Um, I can't wait till we can meet up again, um, as Frontline city in Tree of Life Cafe. Um, but yes, love you all. Well, there you go. Thanks, Abby. Thanks for that amazing update. I hope you sort of, you got to grips with where, uh, where Abby's at and where she's, well, she's actually in, in her house right now with that beautiful stained glass doing the video and saying, how's it to everyone? Great to hear the story, uh, and catch it with Abby. And Abby will be back again very, very soon. So Wayne says, thanks for sharing. Oh, let's have a look at the [00:13:00] comments, see how we're getting on here, guys. Hey Matt. Hey, Abby. Hey, Deanna. Said hi to Wayne. Hi, Michael. As if we could forget our, Abby says Matt indeed. Thanks for sharing. Uh, thanks Abby. Amazing. Abby. All good stuff. Well done. Fantastic. So, uh, we could just leave it there actually, after Abby's, uh, very. Wise words at the end. They, how often do we get a time like this to make the most of it? So, uh, indeed, we totally should be doing that, shouldn't we making the most of it? So, let's get into a topic of conversation four the day. Uh, we are gonna talk about Jesus walking on water. Uh, if you've not been following along so far, we have been working our way through the Gospel of Mark and enjoying everything, uh, that Mark has been teaching us about Jesus and who Jesus is and why Jesus did all the amazing cool things that he did. And we've, we've been having a big time going through that. As you can [00:14:00] see from the little icon in the corner, we are gonna be looking at Mark chapter six, verses 45 through 52 today. So hopefully, uh, if the power of technology doesn't fail me, there we go. We can actually get the verses on the screen. How amazing is this? It is totally cool. So let's read these together. After everyone had their meal, Jesus instructed his disciples to get back into the boat. Now, uh, just to put this in some kind of context, uh, this is after the feeding of the 5,000, right? So after everyone had had their meal, after the 5,000 families had stuffed their faces and the 12 baskets had been distributed to that young kid, uh, Jesus trics his disciples to get back into the boat and go ahead of him and sail to the other side of, uh, to the other side, to Beseder. So he dispersed the Crowd, said goodbye to his disciples, and then slipped away to prey on the mountain. As night [00:15:00] fell, the boat was in the middle of the lake and Jesus was alone on land. The wind was against the disciples, and he could see that they were straining at the oars, trying to make headway. When it was almost morning, Jesus came to them walking on the surface of the water, and he started to pass them by. And when they saw him walking on the waves, they thought he was a ghost and screamed out in terror. Uh, but he said to them at once, do not yield to fear. Have courage. It's really me. I am. When he came closer and climbed into the boat with them and immediately the stormy wind became still, and they were completely and utterly overwhelmed with astonishment because they failed to learn the lesson of the miracle of the loaves and their hearts were unwilling to learn the lesson. Whew. There's a lot there, right? So. Let's scoot on back to the start of the, [00:16:00] uh, verses there. You're gonna have to forgive me looking around all over the place. Uh, I have my camera, I have my computer, I have my desk. Um, I have a little gadget thing, which you can't see, which allows me to go from one slide to the next. I've got my phone, I've got Facebook, I've got the website, I've got it all going on. It's like tech central here. Um, which is fine. It's the way we like it, right? So, uh, it's what we do. It's what we do well. So let's start at the beginning here. So, after they'd had their meal, like I said, they fed the 5,000. And Jesus at the end of the day sends everybody off and he goes away. It says here, um, to pray on the mountain. And it's always a good place to start here. Uh, just sort of looking at what Jesus does after this insane day of just giving out to people, right? Just giving, giving, giving. Constantly. Giving. And what does he do? Uh, and what does that mean? It means he goes away and he prays because when we give out, it is good to recharge. Uh, as a friend of mine says, an [00:17:00] empty battery is not really that much use, right? Uh, it's no good. So you've gotta recharge your batteries and just take that time aside after all that giving to make sure you've got enough to give out the next day. And this is really important, especially as Christians, because we have a source of life that is just incredible. And we we're here to be light and salt to the world. We're here to give and, uh, you know, show the life of Christ to the world. But we've gotta make sure. We ourselves are filled up. And Jesus has shown a really great example here. Just set aside some time and pray and see what God is doing. Okay. And he tells his disciples, you know what? Go get back into the boat. Um, and uh, set sail, uh, which was in some respects, when you think about the time of the day when Jesus is telling them to go, it's a little bit unusual because fishermen didn't really usually. Didn't really use it, that doesn't make any sense. But fishermen didn't actually go and [00:18:00] get on the lake at nighttime. It's just something that they didn't do right, because, uh, the lake is a dark place. There's no GPS right? There's just, it's just dark. And it's a big open space. It's big. It's about 64 meters, uh, mile squared apparently. Didn't know that about the same size as Washington dc. Little known fact for you there. Um, but because it was quite open and quite shallow, a lot of, uh, a lot of time there would be storms on the lake, especially at night. So the fishermen tended to avoid it. But here they are. Jesus has actually told them to go onto the lake at nighttime, right? They're smack bang in the middle of this lake, uh, in this story. And Jesus actually put them there, which I find quite fascinating. So they did something. That that was contrary to their normal way of thinking because Jesus told 'em to do it. They were just obedient and cracked on and did it right. Um, it wouldn't necessarily have made sense for them. And actually the place where they, where they are in this [00:19:00] story is actually, it's not a straightforward place. It's actually quite a tricky, hard place and I dunno about you, but if I was one of those disciples, I'd be like, why did Jesus tell us to come on the boat in the middle of the night? It's dark, it's windy, it's stormy, and this is not great. What is going on? And there are sometimes I think when God leads us and takes us to places and we're like, God, what is going on? Can you please tell me? Because I just don't get it right. Uh, and learning to trust God in the midst of these dark places is quite, quite fascinating. I heard this quote once, uh, and um, part of me agrees with it. Part of me doesn't want to agree with it though, uh, because it says that God's more interested in my character than he is interested in my comfort. I don't know if you agree with this. Uh, I don't know if you are anti that quote, but I think it's a really interesting question, isn't it? God's more interest in my character than he is in my comfort, and I think that's [00:20:00] true in this story as we see what's going on and see what's happening with the disciples. Now, one of the disciples in the boat, can you name them, uh, is a pop, uh, pop trivia quiz here. Uh, one of them is Peter and we know that if you're familiar with this story, 'cause Peter later on in the story gets out and walks on water. Although Mark doesn't actually cover that in his version of the story. Um, but we know Peter's in the boat, right? And so here's Peter, one of the disciples. He is in the boat, he's in this place. It's a dark place. It's stormy. It's not great, it's uncomfortable. And Jesus put them there. And Peter writes this really interesting thing in, uh, the book of one Peter. He says this, if life gets extremely difficult with many tests, don't be bewildered as though some strange thing were overwhelming. You instead, continue to rejoice for you in a measure have shared in the sufferings of the anointed one, I'm talking about Jesus, so that you can share in the revelation of his glory and celebrate [00:21:00] with even greater gladness. If you suffer for being a Christian, don't consider it a disgrace, but a privilege glorify God because you carry the anointed one's name. And it's quite a fascinating phrase, isn't it? I love this. He says, here, you can share in the revelation of his glory and his celebration, be and celebrate that with even greater gladness, because it's often in these places where it's tricky and we, and things aren't gonna plan. And we maybe even feel God's letters down this sort of road where things aren't going to plan. And we have to learn to trust God because he's more about our character than he is about our comfort. And as, and it's often in that place that this becomes quite true. We get this revelation of his glory like we have never seen before. And that's actually what happens if you think about it to the disciples in this story. They get a revelation of God's glory like no one has seen before. When Jesus ends up walking on the water, I mean, it's incredible, [00:22:00] right? So, uh oh. I'm going the wrong way. Sorry about that. Next. Great. There we go. Back on it. Uh, so let's carry on with the story. So as night falls, right, and it's getting darker and darker, the boat is in the middle of the lake and Jesus was alone on the land. And there's a real clear separation of the disciples and Jesus here, which is important to, uh, remember for later. And the wind was against the disciples and he could see, uh, that they were straining at the oars trying to make headway. And when? When it was almost morning, Jesus came to them walking on the surface of the water and he started to pass them by. This is interesting, isn't it? So the night is starting to fall, it's starting to get darker. The wind is starting to get more and more boisterous. The storms, the waves are getting more and more complicated and difficult. Things are going from bad to worse for the disciples, and I come back to this point because it's worth remembering they're there because they obeyed [00:23:00] God. Right. It's a really interesting point, and things are going from bad to worse for them. And you could argue actually now they're immortal danger 'cause the, the, the storms are break. But look how the passion translation writes this here in the middle of the screen where it says they were straining at the awes. I think it's really pictorial language, trying to make headway. They were, they were rowing with all my, and they're straining and they're putting all their strength into it, trying to get this boat to move, trying to make some headway, trying to sort of fight against the wind. And I don't know about you if you've ever felt like this, where life is concerned, where you just, you feel like you're the disciples in this boat, right? You are. You are rowing, you're doing everything you can, but life just seems to be knocking you back. The storms seems to be getting stronger. The darkness seems to be growing and it doesn't matter what you do. Nothing is moving and nowhere is going. And in between the moments of. [00:24:00] Panic. Uh, you are trying to do everything you can to get out of it. And I think it's quite, we've all been there and I think we'll all be there again. And just because we're walking in God's grace and God's anointing doesn't mean that we'll avoid these situations, which is not really a very cheery message for a Sunday afternoon. But it's worth remembering, right? Because so often we want this sort of rose tinted Christianity where, you know, as soon as we have a difficult problem, we're gonna pray and God's gonna answer it. Um, so we never really have to deal with these issues. Um, but it, it doesn't always work out like that, which is, you know, it's one of the mysteries of Christianity, let's just put it that way. Now, notice this right here. It says the wind was against the disciples. And he talking about Jesus could see that, he could see them straining at the AARs, trying to make headway. But notice where Jesus is. Jesus is on the land, the disciples are in the boat. And we know this lake is a [00:25:00] pretty massive space, right? So it's not like he could just look at, oh, there they are. This is, I think for me, I read this and go, well, Jesus is seeing this supernaturally. He's seeing this, um, even from the shore, even though they're miles away supernaturally, he's seeing, uh, the problems that are going on. And I just put here in my notes, I think it's, it's, it's good to remember that sometimes God can feel far away. We're in the middle of this and, and God is removed from it, but he still sees us and he's aware of what is happening around us. And if this story tells us anything, it is this, that when Jesus sees you, he's gonna do the miraculous to get to you, uh, and be with you. That's just the, the, the way Jesus is. That's the end of the story, isn't it? Really? In the midst of all this, we know it's gonna pass. Wayne's put here. Yes, Matt, but if we keep our focus on God, the storm will pass. And that is absolutely true. We [00:26:00] know eventually that with God, the storm will pass. But sometimes the reality of it is we fear being in the middle of it, right? And so Jesus sees us and he sees us in the midst of the problems and the difficulty. And it's great that he sees us and we want him to get to us, but sometimes. It's not quite as quick as I'd want it to be. Let's just put it that way. Uh, because it says here when it was almost morning, right? This is like three or four hours later. This is, um, this is like between three and 6:00 AM okay? We know this is a sort of time slot that they're talking about here. So, you know, Dawn is almost starting to break between three and 6:00 AM It's at that point when they've been toiling hard all nights that Jesus goes, alright, let's go and see him. I, um, so off he, he walks, uh, on the water and he started to pass by them. And it's a really interesting question, a really interesting question for me. Why did Jesus wait so [00:27:00] long before going out the, I dunno if you've got any thoughts about this. Why did he wait so long? And there are actually lots of thoughts around this, lots of discussions. The internet is never shy of an opinion and so it has plenty of interesting theories. And whilst I don't. I don't think I know exactly why he waited. I just know that he did. Which leads me to the conclusion that sometimes I just have to say to myself, regardless of what's going on, Jesus sees me. But he's gonna, he's gonna do this according to his timetable, not mine. Right? And whilst he sees me, and whilst everything's going on, and whilst I'm straining at the AARs, trying to make it make some headway in the belief that at some point God is gonna redeem this, uh, which I believe that he totally will do, it's gonna be according to his timetable, God moves on his timetable, not yours. And I find [00:28:00] sometimes this is actually very hard to take, especially when it is, you know, the middle of the night. And I am in effect rowing for all my metaphorical worth. Um. As things currently stand at the moment, you know, we've got the, the COVID-19 going on, we've got all of that kicking off around us. Um, and praise God, so far, everybody, you know, has still been working and uh, you know, enough has been going on with that. But I know for a whole bunch of folks, um, you know, I, I, I run businesses tomorrow. The government may shut them down because of COVID-19. And I know for a number of companies that's happened, some really good friends of mine have experienced that. And you know what, it's not in the middle of all that. You want God to do something, you want him to move. Um, but he does it according to his timetable. But we know he's gonna do something and we know that he sees us and we know that he has a plan because it's just God. Right? Um, and [00:29:00] patience is a fruit of the spirit. Uh, it is a fruit of the spirit and we need lots of it. Um, especially at the moment. I need patience and I need, uh, that perseverance and belief that God is gonna continue to do some good stuff. Um, and I always have this sta saying in, in the back of my head, don't waste a good trial when things are difficult. When things are hard, don't waste it. Um, let's see what God is gonna do, right, because when it's almost morning, Jesus is gonna come out to them. Uh, and walk on water. Now I quoted Peter earlier, uh, and lemme see if I can bring that back up actually. So here's the, the quote from earlier. Uh, it's in this place of trial. He said, we get the revelation of his glory and can celebrate with even greater gladness. And that's actually true for Peter, isn't it? Peter was the one that got out of the boat, um, that tried to walk on water for a little while with Jesus and then got back into him after Jesus saved him. And you just kind of think. This [00:30:00] man has this revelation in the midst of all of this, somehow he finds a revelation of God's glory that he would never have seen before. And he sees God do stuff that he would never have seen had this event not happened. And it's incredible, really. So why did, I dunno if your brain thinks like mine, but my brain sort of goes like down these sort of roads. Well, why did Jesus walk on the water? Um, and actually it's not until he gets in the boat. Uh, we read earlier and we're gonna read again that the storm stops. So, so Jesus, as he is walking on the water, this is not calm flat water that he's walking on. This is stormy water And, uh. You know, why did he not stop the storm? Why did he not make the water calm? So it, I mean, I dunno how easy it is to walk on water. It's not particularly straightforward. I have tried it in the swimming pool, didn't work for me, you know, and I, I, I guess it doesn't matter whether it's flat or stormy, walk on waters, walk on [00:31:00] water, I suppose. But did Jesus even walk on water? 'cause it seems impossible. And that leads me to ask questions about miracles. Now, I dunno if you're watching this where you are at with your faith journey, I dunno where you are at in terms of understanding, uh, about miracles and your faith. Do you even think miracles happen? Do you think they, they occur? Do you think Jesus did actually walk on water? Um, and whether you believe in miracles or whether you don't, people who witnessed the life of Christ said that he did a whole bucket load of miracles. Right? And, um, and, and this for me is one of the wildest ones that he does. Um. Because it just sort of contradicts massively the laws of nature and science, right? As, as I know them. And, uh, you know, I suppose that's the thing about miracles, isn't it? Miracles are impossible because you, because by [00:32:00] definition, a miracle I suppose is, is not normal. It's not standard, right? Um, miracles are supposed to be impossible. Uh, they sort of fly in the laws of nature. I've got some quotes here, which I thought were quite good about this. So this is James Emery White. Um, talking about this particular story says, whilst it's a scientific dilemma, IE had a Jesus walk on stormy water. It's not a particularly intellectual or spiritual dilemma, and I like this. And the reason you could say that it may be, you know, how did he do this from a scientific point of view, miracles are one of those things where actually. When you think about God, they're actually pretty straightforward because, um, you could argue that if Jesus was God, then miracles should have been commonplace because God, by very definition of being God is outside of the laws of nature. He is supernatural. He is above natural, right? He can do these supernatural things, and in fact should do.[00:33:00] And, and if he doesn't or didn't, I'm not quite convinced he's a God that we should worship. Um, Ian Hutchinson, who's an MIT professor, wrote a book called, uh, can A Scientist Believe in Miracles. I think that was the title of the book. And he defined a miracle as an extraordinary act of God by which God upholds part of the universe in a manner different from normal. Absolutely. Right. So the miracles are outside of what is natural. They're outside of this, uh, what we perceive to be true and right, because he can, because he's. God. Right? Uh, Rebecca McLaughlin, I hope I pronounce the name right, A journalist put it this way, to believe in the God of the Bible who created the universe and not to believe in miracles is rather obtuse. I think that's a really interesting way of putting it because you know, if you believe in God, you kind of have to believe that miracles exist. Otherwise, God's not really God. There's today's [00:34:00] philosophical thought for you. Uh, and just rounding off with James again, miracles just mean that there is something, and more specifically someone bigger than science. And so I believe wholeheartedly Jesus walked on water. 'cause I believe wholeheartedly Jesus was God. And God can do that kind of stuff. It's just the way it works out. Right. But why did he do it? That's maybe a bigger question. And I believe that every miracle that Jesus did points to who he was as God, right? There's a scripture in the Old Testament in Job where it says, talking about God. He says, he alone stretches out the heaven and treads on the waves of the sea. So people in the Old Testament were familiar with this, uh, scripture. The people of Jesus at the time knew that God could tread on the waves of the sea, and here he is fulfilling that prophecy of treading on the waves of the sea. And I think it's quite wonderful. And one of the things that it speaks to me of [00:35:00] is, you know, in the midst of the darkness and the problems and the pain, Jesus comes to us and, uh, he is. Withers. It talks to me about being approachable and being accessible. Now, Hebrews says this in Hebrews 13, five, keep your lives free from the love of money. Be content with what you have. Because God has said, never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you. Right? So that, that to me tells me what this story is. It may feel like it, but actually he doesn't. And in the midst of the storm and the wind and the waves and the struggle, he is walking and doing the miraculous to get to us, to be accessible to us so we can approach him and just have him with us in what is going on. And, uh, I dunno about you, but that sounds a little bit like, you know, the whole gospel in some respects. You know, Jesus sees, [00:36:00] uh, his friends in trouble. Um, he does some kind of. Supernatural miracle, um, to get to them so that he can save them and rescue them. Sounds like the gospel, right? Jesus sees mankind. Mankind is in trouble. It is doing everything that it can to live and do stuff like life and is struggling and it can't make headway and stuff is not going well, and we are trapped in our own fear and sin and just. It is horrific. Uh, and Jesus sees that. And, uh, just before the morning he walks on water, he does the miraculous. In other words, he comes to earth as a baby, as a child, lives as a man dies. But the most amazing miracle that ever took place as a resurrection. And he raises from the dead. In fact, I think it's the most documented miracle ever in the face of history. And he raises from the dead, creates this amazing miracle so that Jesus is again, is [00:37:00] approachable and accessible. And he comes to us and he rescues us and he saves us. Sounds like to me the story of the gospel, which I just totally love and I I love this whole point of it. Now, I said to you earlier that Mark actually doesn't talk about Peter at all in this story. He just focuses on the Jesus part of it, which again, I like because it is for me such a perfect picture of the gospel and what the gospel is for us as Christians. Okay, let's close. Uh, when they saw him walking on the waves, they thought he was a ghost and screamed out in terror. Um, but he said to them, do not EU to fear. Have courage. It's really me. I am. So when they saw him walking on the waves, they thought he was a ghost and screamed out in terror. Goodness me, me. It's amazing, isn't it? When things happen, which are beyond our explanation that we can't explain the human nature or the human response to this is to spooky fire them. Do you know what I mean? It's [00:38:00] that kind of the Scooby-Doo and scrappy do type thing. You know, we, everything's a goose and a ghost until you unmask it. And so it's just like, this doesn't make sense to us. So that's a ghost, that's a spirit. We just, you know, we kind of spooky fire things as a human race, but it's, it's not like that actually. It's, it's Jesus. And, uh, you know, it, I, I, I wrote here in my notes, so this is not what they expect God to do to help them, right? If you are on a boat. You are fearing for your life. High on your list of things for God to do is not to walk past you on the water, right? I mean, it just for me doesn't enter my thinking one iota. Um, and the, the thing about it is, I wrote here, it's not always warm and fuzzy. When God intervenes, actually, when he really starts to show up in power, it can be a little bit terrifying. And that's what we see here. It's just a little bit terrifying. And I like how, um, the, the passion [00:39:00] translation puts it. It says, do not yield to fear. Just don't yield to it. In other words, don't give way to it. Don't let it have first place. It's there. We see it, we acknowledge it, but fear is not gonna win. And that choice is actually yours in its mind. Right. We have the choice to let fear, take control, or we have the choice to, to, to not, to not yield to that, um, not yield to fear because we can have courage. It's really me, it's really Jesus. He really is the son of God. He really is faithful. He really is able to do all that he's promised to do because he is I am. And the I am, the whole name of God thing is just incredible in this story. Um, you see Jesus using this phrase a few times. I am, uh, referring to how God named himself in the Old Testament. He's like, I am. I am God. I am. I am. I am. Do you know what I mean? You just, I am. However you wanna put that. I am. It just, there's nothing else to say after that. I just, he he is [00:40:00] and, uh. And here he comes at the end of this story and says, do not yield to fear. Have courage. It's really me. I am, and I think there are four of the most encouraging things that God can say to us right now. Do not yield to fear, have courage. God is God. He's really there. Jesus is really real. He is I am. And, uh, I love it. I love it. I love it. You may have guessed. I love it. Um, so let's go onto the next verse. Then he came closer and climbed into the boat with them, and immediately the stormy wind became still. And when we invite Jesus into the scenario, when he comes in and gets in the boat with us, it's amazing at some point what we're facing, calms and stills just like Jesus, uh, just like Jesus, Wayne, Jesus, uh, Wayne said earlier on in the Facebook comments, uh, that that is one of the things that can happen, right? He gets into the boat, still amazes me. He gets involved. He absolutely gets involved. And it's only at this point [00:41:00] the storm has stopped up until this point, the storm has still raged on, even though we know Jesus could have calmed it with a word, but there was something that needed to happen here. And the disciples were completely and utterly overwhelmed with astonishment because they failed to learn the lessons of the miracles of the loaves. And their hearts were unwilling to learn the lesson. What an extraordinary way to end this story. They were completely and utterly overwhelmed with astonishment. Get that? Because I would be the same. I would, you know, I'm gonna freak out a little bit if I see you walk in a mortar. Just wanna point that out. Um. But they'd, it says here, they'd failed to learn the lessons from the miracle of the loaves. They just, they'd had this miraculous day where they'd seen all this amazing stuff happen, but they failed to learn the lessons from it. You know what? Miracles don't teach you anything. That's one of the crazy things in all of this. They show you that God is real. They show you that God is above [00:42:00] nature and natural stuff and so on and so forth, but it's up to you and it's up to me to understand the lessons from those. I used to think, you know what, God, if you could just show a whole bunch of miracles to my non-Christian friends and family, they'll instantly become Christians. But it's not true at all because you can. I've seen people, you know, there's a friend of mine when I was at university going back a few years, this was where it first. Highlighted to me, um, had a real swollen ankle and I prayed for her ankle and instantly before her eyes it just went sh down. Like that amazing stuff. I was dense in a jig. 'cause I thought that's really cool. But you know what? She never became a Christian. Well she didn't at that point. God's still working on her life. Right? Um, but. Just because there's a miracle doesn't mean there's the learning that comes from that miracle. We see that with the disciples. We see that in our own lives and one of the best prayers that we can pray for ourselves. Just like Paul said in the book of Ephesians, Lord, would you give me a [00:43:00] spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of you that we would know you and we would experience you in a way that we would be teachable and learn and be open to learning from you. It's all amazing stuff. Whew. There you go. Amazing. Isn't it really? And I just love it. 'cause you do see the story of the gospel in this. You see Jesus caring for people. You see Jesus putting his friends and his disciples in some very tricky situations. But it was all okay. And God does some amazing miracles in the lives of ordinary people like you and me. And when he does, we've just gotta be open to learn the lessons from them. It's just one of my favorite stories of the Bible. Love, love, love, love this. So can I ask you as we do it front line, state, we have a little conversation, uh, around the scripture and thank you for all your comments. Um, oh, let me just see what sort of, oh gosh. There's been lots of comments. Sorry I've not been keeping up with them. [00:44:00] Too busy trying to concentrate on everything else. Um. Matt Crew says Here is praying for Boris. Good on you, Matt. He definitely needs our prayers. Uh, Wayne, like Pastor John was saying in Psalm one 30, hope is built on the Lord and he'll redeem all nations. Absolutely. Jesus did perform miracles because he's powerful Lord and faithful and yes, he did. Nothing is impossible with God. Love it. Love it, love it. Absolutely. Abby, love you, passionate. Oh, bless you. You've gotta be passionate, Abby, following your video, right, because, uh, you can't be boring. Uh, so I like that. Fear will probably come, but we don't need to give into it. We can choose to have courage as my wife. Absolutely. Um, you know what I can do, I can add these to the broadcast. There we go. Why didn't I do that? Look at that modern technology. So, uh, thank you for all your comments. Thanks for getting involved. I hope you've got something out of it. We are now gonna do the q and a thing. Um, oh, will's here, will rugby B Hey Will, [00:45:00] how's it going, bud? Mims here. Hey, Mim. Uh, Sharon says I forgot to give the Frontline web address earlier. Oh, let me put that there. Uh, check it out for the daily rhythm sections. There you go, Matt. Love this. Great, great to have you all. Uh, you've been on fire today, Matt. Oh, you are such a sweetheart. Okay, let's get into the questions because I really want to get into this. This is a bit where we, uh, where we think about what we've just heard and, uh, maybe ask some of things. Some questions around it. See what God does. See what God says. Should we get into it? Let's get into it. I wanna get into it. So given that I'm controlling the take, let's get into it, right? Question number one, does life feel safe with the direction of the travel? And this question comes because, you know, Jesus told the disciples to go somewhere that was a little bit unsafe for them and out of the usual comfort zones, uh, that they had and the boxes, you know, their thinking at the time. And so my first question for you is about your life. Does life feel safe for you at the moment with the direction of travel [00:46:00] that you're on? Um, I don't know. For me if it does, you know, because of the COVID-19, there's a lot of uncertainty going on, so I don't think it part feels particularly safe, but it does feel exciting and I, I say that with all due respect and deference to people who are struggling at the moment. But I, I find at the moment, I have just an expectation of God. Higher than I've known for a little while. And so with that comes an excitement, if that makes sense. But what about you? Does your life feel safe with the direction of travel? Uh, I mentioned earlier that God is more interested in your character rather than your comfort. Do you agree with that statement? Yes or no? Um, and why yes or no? Put your comment, put your answers in the comments below. Um, what does patience mean and how are you doing with it? So this refers to obviously the, the, the disciples in the boat and they're toiling for hours and hours and hours. And it [00:47:00] seems to, there seems to be a gap between the problem starting and Jesus intervening, which is where we are supposed to exercise patients. Um, how do you do with that particularly? I'm not great, I have to be honest with you. I'm definitely, uh, uh, definitely part of, you know, life's learners in, in the patients thing. Um, question number four, have you yielded to fear recently? I just. Forget my spelling of how to spell recently, because obviously that's rubbish. Um, but have you, uh, yielded to fear? I just really love that phrase, do not yield to fear. So my question to you at the, honestly, have you done that? And that may be related to COVID-19, it may be related to health, it may be related to money or to employment. It may be, I don't know, a, uh, relationships, million and one different things. It could be, right? But is there a place where fear is crept in and you've let it have first place in your thinking? Um, just wanted to put that out [00:48:00] there. And then final question, any life lessons? Unlearnt? Now this for me is the key to the story at the end, you know, where the disciples haven't learned the, the sort of the thinking from the loaves and the fishes and I'm, I kind of, it kind of leaves me thinking, what, what has God tried to teach me through what he's been doing in my life? Are there any lessons that I've not learned that's kind of closing me off to some of the things that he's doing? If, for example, I'm reacting out of fear in certain scenarios, which is what the disciples did, is that because I have not, I've not had that revelation. I've not learned that lesson from something God has previously taught me. Are there any life lessons learned? So there are five key questions to get involved, have at it, have at the comments below. Uh, see what you can put up. Uh, see what you've got in there. Uh, let us know what you think. So let's have a look at comments. Uh, I will [00:49:00] try. Okay. I said some of these. Um, I'm gonna get rid of the, let me leave the questions on the screen actually, and let me resize that. Does that work? Are you seeing that? Um, so Wayne's put, I will try to walk on water when we do eventually have the baptisms. I will be there for that. Wayne. Let's do it. Let's, uh, let's do that. That's awesome. Love that. Um, okay. I hope you're writing in your answers to the questions in the comments. Uh, what's Michael put here? Let's see. It does, but how do we differentiate God's voice from our own thoughts, plans and desire? Sometimes I feel like he's pointed me in a particular path or career, but I wonder if he really is speaking to me or not. It's hard to hear his voice sometimes. I tell you what Michael, I totally feel for you, bud, because we have [00:50:00] all been there. Um, God, is this really you is such a great question. How do I know whether, what I'm think I'm hearing from you is actually you and not me just coming up with some crazy ideas. Such a great question. I think for me, if I'm honest, um. I think you get more and more used to hearing God's voice as you get older in the Christian faith is probably the first thing I'd say. The more you, the more you practice hearing God's voice, the more you recognize it. If, if you follow what I'm thinking. But does that mean I'm 100% online with recognizing when God speaks to me? Absolutely not because I miss so many things. 'cause he speaks to us in so many different ways, right? Through scripture, through Prayer, uh, through our friends, through our family, through events, whatever it may be, right? God speaks in numerous different ways, but I've always had this common belief when it comes to something, if I feel like God is leading me like in a direction, like on a career path or something [00:51:00] like that. Um, but I'm not entirely sure. I think sometimes. It's easier to turn a car when it's moving, if that makes any sense to you. It's a piece of advice they give is when I was at Bible school. In other words, sometimes it's just better to get going in a particular direction and just see what God does, right? So in the Book of Acts, the apostle Paul does this. He, he starts heading in one direction and, um, and it, and it, and he, as he's going that way, he goes, oh, oh no, this doesn't feel right. And the Bible says the Holy Spirit constrained him. In other words, he went, this is not the right direction. I'm gonna go over this way. And so he went that way. And I think, you know what? God, uh, is very good at guiding his people, even when we don't realize He, I mean, that's one of the stories we see throughout the Bible a lot, isn't it? That actually he's very good at guiding his people, even, even when they don't realize they're being guided. And I kind of think that sometimes for me, God can handle my failure. [00:52:00] Much more than my disobedience. In other words, I'd rather fail at doing something which I thought God was saying, than do nothing about what I think God's saying. 'cause I'm not entirely sure. And just be disobedient, if that makes any kind of sense to you at all. So my advice is trust God, he's gonna talk to you. He'll make it clear to you. Um, start heading down in a certain direction. See what God does, um, because he'll guide you. And if you're on the wrong path, trust me, he'll steer, he'll steer it. If you are doing that, if you're making those decisions out of a pure heart and pure intentions, he'll help you. If we're making those decisions out of a, out of greed or out of, um, you know what? Sometimes if I'm totally honest, I've made business decisions where I, I've gone, oh, I think God's saying this, but actually, if I'm honest and check my heart, it's because I think I'm, I can make money going down that road. And um, yeah, they've not always worked out. No, no sir. And [00:53:00] so my final tip in this would be actually, uh, if it doesn't work out, just sit down like the disciples should did at the end of the lo thing and go, what, what can I learn from this that I obviously didn't know beforehand? Uh, and just, you know, failure is alled part of life and, um, and God can cope with failure. So go for it would be my advice. Hope that's helpful. Matt's put here. Thanks Matt. You'd be rubbish on countdown. I'm assuming you are talking about my really rubbish spelling. Yeah, I'm, I totally agree with you. Uh, and Matt, just to clarify, I'm talking to Matt e by the way. Yeah, yeah, I figured. Thanks Matt. Appreciate it. Um. Abby, I feel the same. Matt, with the excitement, expectation of what he's gonna do at this time. I also tend to find it safe, sheltered whilst being at home all the time. I'm conscious that I need to keep stepping outta my comfort zone while still being at home so I don't get lazy, complacent a man. Abby, thank you for sharing [00:54:00] that. I'm with you. Totally. One of the things that I'm kind of thinking, you know, we're all stuck at home and we're doing the church on the live broadcast thing, and we do community on Zoom, which is great, and we connecting with people. But what else can I do? Did you know in the paper it said that church attendance doubled last week because of the streaming thing? Because people wanted to, people watched it at home and I think it's just such a great opportunity and so I'm like, in my head, I'm like, we could do an online alpha on a Friday night or something like that. You know, we've, I've got an idea for a podcast that I wanna do all these kind of cool things. Um, sometimes it's. It's hard to know which opportunities to say no to, um, if that makes sense. But yes, I'm conscious like you that I need to step out of my comfort zone and not just sit at home twiddling my thumbs. What can I do here? I just think that's such a great opportunity, um, to bring the gospel right now. Uh, Matt, hard to feel patience when I'm looking for work and when I'm getting so many slam doors. Oh man, I feel you, you're like the disciples. Do you [00:55:00] know what I mean? Not making any headway, struggling with those awes. Uh, I feel you buddy. I do. Uh, just keep going. Just keep going because at some point you'll see the miracle of Jesus. It's just, that's the lesson we can learn from this story. Uh, and I, I feel your pain and I feel your aggravation. You know, there's a story when, um, I dunno if I've ever told you this, but, uh, years ago I was working for a company, um, and we sold saunas and steam rooms, right? And, um, I did a lot of design and, you know, installing these spa and these saunas and steam rooms and stuff. And it was great. And I, I loved it. And, um, the chap who I was working for sold the business. And I thought, you know, God said to me, uh, and Sharon thought this as well, that God was gonna give us that business. This, we thought God was, that's what we were saying. And um, and it was a really tricky one because, [00:56:00] uh, the business was sold to someone who wasn't me. And so here I am, I feel like God's told me that he's gonna give me this business, but the reality of it's. The reality of it was, it was in the hands of somebody else who, if I'm honest, I didn't particularly get along with, or he particularly didn't get along with me. And so I ended up leaving that business. Right. I ended up walking away and this was when Josh, my now, well he was then actually my oldest child was just a few months old. So I ended up walking away from the company that I thought God was gonna give me with a baby that was a few months old having no genuine source of income. And this is when my business started and I'm like, God, what is going on? What are you doing? And um, but I, I kind of coming back to your question, Michael, I kind of thought that we'd heard God, you know, was gonna give us this company. And so I just thought, well God, it's gonna be interesting to see how you sought this drama out, right? I mean, it's just horrendous what's going on. And, um. I, I haven't got time, but I could tell you all the stories of God's [00:57:00] provision, uh, after Josh was born, which was amazing. But the, the, the, if I fast forward five years from that point, that company, um, that was bought by somebody else, um, I in effect was given that company by the sauna, steam room manufacturer in Germany. They came to us and said, listen, would you, would you get back involved? It's been five years. We really want you back involved. Here it is for free. Um, and God gave me that business, but it was five years later and we built that business up and it was great and it was wonderful to be a part of it. And, um, you know what? Five years was a long time, let me tell you. It was a long time. Uh, and being patient during that time was tricky and difficult. But I can tell you at the end of those five years, God came through. He works on his timetable. Uh. Right Wayne. Patience will come by keeping your focus on God. And at times, uh, maybe we lose patience and worry, but as long as we have Jesus, we don't need to worry.[00:58:00] Abso positive. Absolutely. Uh, the door will open Matt and he will present you with great options. Uh, amen. Well done Wayne. Um, and we pray that for you, Matt, that actually the doors will open. Um, thanks Matt. That makes sense. Cool. All the comments are flying in. Uh, Abby, I think I agree with the quote about comfort character. I fully believe that God is our comforter. All very good. I like your tie in there, Abby, but that doesn't mean that he never wants us to be in situations that are uncomfortable. Very true. I found that the times that I've grown my character and faith the most have been in the most uncomfortable situations and seasons tightly with you on that. It's a chance also to see God's heart long into comforters. You know what, Abby, I'm just gonna stop talking 'cause I think you're saying it much better than I am. Awesome. Thank you very much. Uh, Michael? Yes, we're up for Alpha. Get to refresh and get back to basics. Plus Friday night is my night off. Amen. Uh, [00:59:00] Josh, Mona says, oh, your, your Mona's PA again. Uh, this is what happened last week. Mona says that the statement God will hand on my failure better than my disobedience is really challenging as it removes any uncertainty in whether you should act on a word that may or may not be from God. Uh, and to quote man, amen and amen. So, uh, fully agree with that actually this statement that God can handle my failure better than he can. My disobedience, once I felt the Holy Spirit give me that little golden nugget, that little snippet, it changed actually how I thought about, um, following God and the obedience to God and some of the things that I, uh, had been doing. And, um, and that was fine. You know, it fits my personality super, super well, and, uh, yeah, really, really stoked to. Have that little gold nugget from the Holy Spirit and it's definitely changed my life. So, whew. It is five o'clock. We have been going for an hour. Can you believe it? Thank you so much guys. I hope you've got something out of [01:00:00] this now. Um, just to let you know what's happening coming up, what's happening next, uh, on Wednesday nights we have our community meeting online where we meet by Zoom. If you're not part of a community and you want to be in our community, do reach out and let us know and we'll make sure you get the Zoom link. It'll be great to see you there. Sharon is putting out one or two questions. Um, baby, you putting these out on Instagram, I'm fairly sure we're putting 'em on Instagram. I genuinely can't remember whether they're in the, uh, WhatsApp group. Um, but get involved in those discussions there. On Wednesday, actually, last Wednesday we did, um, we did the community group and we played heads up via Zoom, which was hysterical. Lemme tell you. It was very, very funny. I really enjoyed that. So we're gonna do something like that again this Wednesday. Um, uh, Michael, I'll let you know about the Alpha. It's the thought that we're thinking about at the moment. If anybody else is interested in Alpha or if you know anybody who's interested in doing Alpha, do let me know. Um, and I'll obviously let you know about the podcast if that's gonna come up. [01:01:00] But we will be back here live again next Sunday afternoon at four o'clock, carrying on our study in Mark's gospel. I don't actually know what's next in the, in the, in the story, but I'm sure it will be fantastic, whatever it is. 'cause it'll be about Jesus and we can learn some really great stuff. Can I pray for everybody and then we'll call it a day. And, uh, and we'll, we'll see you soon. So, Lord, I just wanna thank you for this time together. Thank you for the technology that allows us to. Meet and to talk and to chat and to think about your word and the miracles that you did. Lord, I pray for everyone here that you would do a miracle in our lives. I thank you that you are with us even in the storms. You see what's going on. And I pray for people like Matt and uh, and for me and for you know, people who are struggling with work. Lord, would you be the provider that you promised to be and would you open [01:02:00] doors that no man can shut? Would you help us not to yield to fear, but to understand what it is, to take courage in you, to understand who you Jesus really are and that you are the great I am. We bless you. We praise you. Amen. Thank you everybody. God bless you. We will end it there and we will see you soon. Bye for now.
