Trusting Jesus (John 6:1-21)

John chapter 6.

John 6 · chapter mention

If you need a Bible, raise your hand.

We would love to bring one to you.

If you don't have a Bible, you can keep that one as a gift.

And we're going to be going through verses 1 through 21.

So we're going through a lot of verses.

A lot of times people will break this up into two different sermons.

Actually, we did that when we're going through the book of Mark together.

But I really think there's a theme here.

So I really wanted to keep these two together.

So we have a little bit more verses, but I don't think we should go too much longer than normal here this morning.

So John chapter 6, starting in verse 1.

John 6 · chapter mention

If you're able, would you please stand for the reading of God's word?

After this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee, or Tiberius.

A huge crowd was following him because they saw the signs that he was performing by healing the sick.

Jesus went up a mountain and sat down there with his disciples.

Now the Passover, a Jewish festival, was near.

So when Jesus looked up and noticed a huge crowd coming toward him, he asked Philip, Where will we buy bread so that these people can eat?

He asked this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.

Philip answered him, Two hundred denarii worth of bread wouldn't be enough for each of them to have a little.

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, There's a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?

Jesus said, Have the people sit down.

There was plenty of grass in that place, so they sat down.

The men numbered about five thousand.

When Jesus took the loaves, and after giving thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated, so also with the fish, as much as they wanted.

When they were full, he told his disciples, Collect the leftovers so that nothing is wasted.

So they collected them and filled twelve baskets with pieces from the five barley loaves that were left over by those who had eaten.

When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, This truly is the prophet who is to come into the world.

Therefore, when Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum.

Darkness had already set in, but Jesus had not yet come to them.

A high wind arose, and the sea began to churn.

After they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea.

He was coming near the boat, and they were afraid.

But he said to them, It is I, don't be afraid.

Then they were willing to take him on board, and at once the boat was at the shore where they were heading.

Let's pray.

Lord, I thank you so much for these accounts, these uh firsthand eyewitness accounts that we get here from John through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, as he wrote.

Lord, I pray that all the things that you have for us today that you want to teach us, that you want to convict us in, that you want to encourage us in, that all of those things would take place.

And that we would come to you with arms that are wide open in acceptance to what you have for us.

So would you accomplish the work that you want in us and that and would you do the speaking to our hearts here this morning, we pray.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

You may be seated.

So, first thing is we start chapter six here.

It's a long chapter, as you may have noticed.

But it begins this process of Jesus distinguishing between physical and spiritual.

We'll see physical bread today, the multiplying of these barley loaves today.

And the rest of the chapter, it's about Jesus being our spiritual bread, being the bread of life.

But this crowd keeps wanting things from Jesus.

And he keeps trying to teach them that he is all that they really need.

But for the most part, in chapter 6, we will see that many, it says, are not getting this, are not understanding what Jesus is telling them, and they still just want things from him.

Now, the first part of our text, the feeding the 5,000, it's the only miracle that's mentioned in all four of the Gospels, other than the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So it was something that must have really left quite an impression on these disciples, and the lessons, uh, and it's um I think it's a lesson that the Holy Spirit really wants us to understand if he included it in all four of the gospel accounts.

And in each account, we get some different details of this story of the feeding of the 5,000 and with Jesus in the boat.

So we're gonna be using some of the other gospels to fill in, but we we're not gonna sit here and try and piece all four together and cover every single detail.

Because one, we already did that when we went through the book of Mark.

We broke up the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus Calm in the storm.

We broke that into two sermons, and we really got into detail looking at all the other gospels that we could to bring all that together.

So you can go back and listen to that if you'd like.

But the the second reason we're not gonna be doing that and covering every detail is I don't think that was John's intent.

You know, his intent in writing this gospel seems to be a lot different than the other three gospels.

So today we're gonna get exactly as much as the Holy Spirit wrote through John for the purposes of John's Gospel here this morning.

Um, and so we're gonna be combining those two stories, uh, Feeding of the 5,000, Jesus Calm in the Storm, because I think the emphasis of how John is recounting these two events is to teach us how Jesus taught his disciples about trust faith.

And we're gonna be using that word today, trust faith.

And I say trust faith because we have our salvation faith.

We have faith in Christ, our belief in him, and that he is the Son of God, he's the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.

We have our salvation faith, so to speak.

But there's also a trust faith that Jesus calls us to after we come to salvation faith in him.

And though Jesus never defines that faith in the Gospels, he's continually pointing out when he sees it and when he doesn't see it.

He says things like, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great a faith.

And then he'll point out to others, ye of little faith, you of little faith.

And we see those phrases in multiple places.

You see, trusting Jesus more after our salvation faith, trusting him in every circumstance is part of the sanctification process.

And I think the purpose of John's writing here is about trust faith and building a trust faith in his disciples.

Because think about it, being with Jesus for three years, face to face, seeing all that he's doing, it was probably pretty easy to have faith in him because you're having all of these kind of little boosts in your faith as you're seeing him doing all of these miracles and showing all of these signs.

You know, we sing in that hymn, When my faith shall be sight.

You know, we trust Jesus and then we get to see him.

These disciples saw Jesus, and now they need to learn how to trust him.

Kind of the opposite of what we experience in our own faith today.

So Jesus starts to build their trust faith while they're still with them.

So we'll see that uh in the passages here to come.

So let's start off by looking at verse 1.

After this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee or Tiberius.

You know, a lot of John's Gospel records things that Jesus did in and around Jerusalem.

But here we get to see a little bit in John's Gospel of what was going on in Galilee.

Um, and since John's primary audience is Gentiles, as we've talked about, he explains where the Sea of Galilee is.

And we'll see in a couple verses that he'll explain what Passover is as well to help his Gentile audience understand these things.

But we're gonna be looking at a map here.

So they're up here in Bethesda, and then towards the end of our passage, they're gonna be crossing back to Capernaum.

So they're in the northern part of Israel, and Bethzeda is up in the Golan Heights region of Israel, so up in that northeast corner there.

So let's look at verse 2.

A huge crowd was following him because they saw the signs that he was performing by healing the sick.

Luke's account of this tells us that Jesus was trying to go to this region to get away and to rest with his disciples.

But this crowd keeps following and it keeps finding him, and Jesus continues, and the disciples continue to minister.

And I mention this because they were tired.

They're probably exhausted at this time if Jesus is trying to get away and he's trying to have a time of rest.

And I say that because of all we're going to be covering today.

They were already tired.

They were probably already exhausted from all the ministry that was taking place and then the travel that was taking place.

They were trying to get away to have a time of rest.

So I have two questions for us here.

First, why was this crowd in verse 2 following Jesus?

It says right there, because they saw the signs that he was performing by healing the sick.

Now, the second question for us: why did Jesus perform signs and miracles in the first place?

It was to support the truth he was teaching by proving that he was God, that he is God, I should say.

Because anyone can make wild claims, anyone can turn social norms upside down, anybody can claim to be God.

So Jesus performed these signs and miracles to back up the words, the truths that he was speaking to these people.

Like the passage right before this, as we went over last week, speaking of the law, the entirety of the Old Testament.

John the Baptist, God the Father, and the signs he was performing, they were all testifying that he is the Son of Man, that he is the Messiah.

The signs were backing up the truth.

But for many in this crowd, they were more interested in the signs than the truth.

When Jesus starts teaching about the hard things, the amount of people following Jesus dwindles very quickly, doesn't it?

And we need to ask ourselves, here today, this morning, are we just looking for the next amazing thing that God or Jesus is going to do?

Are we looking for how Jesus can keep things exciting in our relationship?

Are we looking at God or Jesus to just satisfy our own needs or our own wants?

And if we are in that boat, do we really have faith in Jesus?

If we're just looking for the next thing he's going to do for us?

You know, if our faith is dependent upon being constantly wowed, do we really trust him when the wow is not there?

When we don't see the miracles?

When we don't hear his voice loud and clear, maybe?

When we may not feel like he's close in the moment, and maybe even when we feel like maybe he doesn't even care.

That's when we find out if we really have a trusting faith in Jesus Christ.

You know, I was talking with a pastor friend a few months back, and he was talking about how we can question God in faith, and how we can question God in doubt.

And how that really means everything in the world in how we approach God with questions.

For example, asking questions in doubt would sound something like, you know, if God really loves me, won't he get me out of this jam?

And if God really existed, wouldn't he speak to me in this time of need?

And if God really knows my situation, why doesn't he change it for me?

That's the unhealthy way that we should question God in doubt.

Because those really sound more like accusations than questions, don't they?

If we're asking in faith, we would talk to him, I think, more like David does in the Psalms.

God, I know you love me, but why don't I feel like it right now?

I know you exist, but why am I not hearing your voice in this situation?

I know you know my situation, but for some reason you're letting me struggle through it, and I feel like you don't care.

Would you please show me what you're doing in this situation?

Do you see the difference in how we can question in faith and how we can question in doubt?

God doesn't mind when we question in faith, when we ask him, you know, the why behind a certain circumstance.

And I think that's the attitude that we really need, and I think that's the attitude that Jesus is trying to teach his disciples.

So back to our text this morning.

Was this crowd truly following Jesus because they trusted him and his words so much?

Well, let's see.

Verse 3.

Jesus went up a mountain and sat down there with his disciples.

Now the Passover, a Jewish festival, was near.

John's is the only gospel that mentions the Passover right here.

Maybe to describe why the crowd had already gathered, you know, on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem, which would explain the huge amount of people that are all together here.

But remember, John's gospel has already drawn a lot of parallels to Israel in Jesus' time and Israel in their time of exodus from Egypt.

You know, their exodus from Egypt, it started with the celebration of Passover, the first one, heading toward what that would become Israel, being hungry, and God providing food for all of them in the wilderness.

Now, here we have pilgrims in the wilderness on their way to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem, and as we'll see, they're hungry.

And Jesus is about to provide food for them in the wilderness.

See the parallels that are taking place there?

Look at verse 5.

So when Jesus looked up and noticed a huge crowd coming toward him, he asked Philip, Where will we buy bread so that these people can eat?

He asked us to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.

And I always ask, why Philip?

Of the 12 disciples, why Philip?

Well, we know that he's from Beth Seda, right where they are right now.

So he's probably just taking one of the local boys that grew up there, even though he already knew what he was going to do, and he says, Hey Philip, you know, where can we get some food around here?

What can we do to feed these people?

And notice that even though these people were coming because of the signs he had already done, Jesus still has compassion on these people.

You know, we learned in Mark's gospel that Jesus had been teaching them all day at this point.

So they were already gathered.

Jesus had already been teaching them, they had been together for a while.

Look at verse 7.

Philip answered him, 200 denarii worth of bread wouldn't be enough for each of them to have a little.

You know, a denarii at this time was about a day's wage.

So 200 denarii is over half a year's wages.

And that wouldn't have even been enough just to give them a snack.

So Jesus asked Philip, the hometown boy, and Philip immediately goes to what they don't have.

He goes to the impossibility of the situation.

You know, I think a faith-filled answer would have looked like, Jesus, I don't know, but surely you do.

I think that's what a faith-filled answer would have looked like.

Look at verse 8.

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, There's a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?

So barley was inferior to wheat, and it costs about a third of the price of wheat at this time.

This was most likely a poor child offering his lunch.

So Andrew basically says to Jesus, we've got this kid here, he's offering us a hot pocket and a bag of Cheetos.

But what is that to so many?

And even though Andrew didn't think they had much, I think we can learn a lesson here.

He looked at what they did have to work with.

It's not much, but here is what we do have.

And I think that is a lot closer to the attitude that Jesus was looking for.

But I think a faith-filled answer from Andrew would have looked like here's the provision God has given us.

Okay, Jesus, what do you want to do with it now?

You know, I couldn't find the author of this quote, but I found this quote.

God will shatter the pint-sized expectations of what his followers can do if they would learn to bring him what they have already been given.

I'm going to read that again, because God will shatter the pint-sized expectations of what his followers can do if they would learn to bring him what they have already been given.

God loves to take a humble little bit and show his power through what man deems to be nothing.

You know, in 1 Corinthians 128, it says, God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world, what is viewed as nothing, to bring to nothing what is viewed as something.

So Jesus, I have this picture in my head.

He says, We only have something insignificant to work with.

Watch this.

I know I kind of see him like that with the disciples.

Look at verse 10.

Jesus said, Have the people sit down.

There was plenty of grass in that place.

It's spring, Passover, grass would be green at this time.

So they sat down.

The men numbered about 5,000.

And immediately my mind goes to Psalm 23.

He makes me to lie down in great pastures.

And then it says, He prepares a table before me.

You know, we really get a picture here of Jesus as the loving, compassionate shepherd that's taking care of his sheep.

And notice it says the men were numbered 5,000.

Now, if you add in the women and children, we could be talking about 10, 15, 20,000 people that are here.

A caterer's nightmare, really, is what we're looking at.

A lot of people to feed in a hot pocket and a bag of Cheetos.

That's basically what they're looking at.

And it would cost over a half year's wages just to serve these people some more d'euros.

Look at verse 11.

Then Jesus took the loaves.

And I think that's key.

The little we have in the hands of Jesus can be one of the greatest miracles of all time.

Let's look at verse 11 again.

Then Jesus took the loaves, and after giving thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated, so also with the fish, as much as they wanted.

They had the appearance of not enough.

Yet notice, what did Jesus do?

He gave thanks for what they did have.

Before the miracle, before the multiplication, Jesus gave thanks for the appearance of not enough.

If we can learn that lesson alone here today, I think that would be enough and we can all go home.

But we're gonna keep going.

But then we see Jesus starts to.

To distribute.

You know, this is not a small amount of food that Jesus was multiplying.

And he not only provided a meal, this was an all-you-can-eat meal that he was providing.

Plus, there were leftovers afterwards.

And we need to notice, and I think take to heart that he used his disciples to distribute it.

Jesus could have just snapped his fingers, and every group of people would have had this Michelin star meal right in front of them, ready to eat.

But he chose to do it this way: to have his disciples take part in the work to carry and to serve this food to Jesus' sheep.

And can you imagine how much work this was to distribute this food to, let's just say, 15,000 people?

Like I said, this is like a caterer's nightmare right here.

Jesus and his disciples, as we mentioned, they were already tired.

They went to this place to get some rest.

So we know that at this point they must already be exhausted.

But this miracle left a lasting impact on his disciples as it was mentioned in all four of the gospels.

You know, I think Jesus wanted them to take part in seeing what he could do with a little.

With the little resources and with the little strength that they had left.

You know, I think for us, our little may look like, you know, I only have two hours a week I can give.

But I can make a meal and I can bring it to somebody's house.

Or I only have an hour in the week I can go visit Bill.

I think that's a very applicable thing for us here this morning.

Or I have limited money, you know, but I can pray with that person and I can pray for them through the week.

Or, you know, I don't have much money, but I can share the gospel.

I can share our greatest riches with whoever it might be.

You know, I think we just need to learn to not underestimate what God can do with what each and every one of us here already has.

You don't need anything more than you already have to serve God.

We can take whatever it is that we have right now and serve him in that way.

Look at verse 12.

When they were full, he told his disciples, collect the leftovers so that nothing is wasted.

So they collected them and filled 12 baskets with the pieces from the five barley loaves that were left over by those who had eaten.

There's a few interesting details here.

Jesus can create food in mass proportions, but still doesn't want to waste the leftovers.

He doesn't say, oh, I'll just make some more later, just throw those in the lake and feed the fish.

He doesn't do that.

We're called to be good stewards of what God has given us, even if it's given to us miraculously.

And Jesus demonstrates that to his disciples.

So they collected the leftovers, and there were 12 baskets of leftovers that they collected.

You know, 12 in Scripture is a number of completeness.

It's the number of the 12 tribes of Israel.

It's the number of the disciples that Jesus chose.

So I wonder, did Jesus give each of his 12 disciples a basket, you know, as a very literal reminder so that they would never forget carrying those full baskets back to Jesus that came from the very little bit that they started with.

You know, maybe a very literal lesson that Jesus is the manufacturer and they are simply the workers.

That Jesus is the manufacturer and they're just the distributors of the things that Jesus is manufacturing.

You know, I think this is a huge lesson that they're learning for especially after Jesus ascends and they go out to do their ministry in the world.

Look at verse 14.

When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, This truly is the prophet who is to come into the world.

You know, to see who this prophet is that they're referring to, we need to look back to Israel and their time in the wilderness once again.

You know, God was speaking to Israel, so all could hear in the beginning of the Exodus, but the Israelites couldn't handle it.

So they asked Moses to be their go-between.

Let God speak to Moses, and then Moses can speak to us.

So God says through Moses in Deuteronomy 18, verses 15 through 19.

Deuteronomy 18:15–19

There you go.

He says, The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers.

You must listen to him.

This is what you requested from the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, Let us not continue to hear the voice of the Lord our God, or see this great fire any longer, so that we will not die.

Then the Lord said to me, They have spoken well.

I will raise up for them a prophet, like you, from among their brothers.

I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.

I will hold accountable whoever does not listen to my words that he speaks in my name.

Jesus is who the Israelites have been waiting for.

This prophet, their Messiah.

So they see this sign that Jesus performs, and they say, This truly is the prophet who is to come into the world.

They see a miracle, they get this little faith booster, they claim Jesus as their Messiah, and look at what they do next in verse 15.

Therefore, when Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

So again, where is their faith?

Where does their faith lie?

I think it's obvious that it wasn't in the words that they had just heard Jesus speaking to them.

It was in the miracles.

In what they could get, like a free meal.

Their faith was in being wowed.

It was in the ideology of a political ruler that would overthrow the current Roman occupation in Israel.

It was in everything but wanting a deeper surrender to God.

So they desired for him to be a political ruler, to be this political king for them, but not the ruler of their heart.

They wanted him to rule their earthly kingdom, but Jesus was trying to invite them into his kingdom, into the kingdom of God.

And Jesus saw right through this.

And he didn't allow them to do this because he was interested in heart change.

They wanted a savior of circumstance, didn't they?

When he wanted to save their souls.

You know, this is not an issue of 2,000 years ago.

This is an issue since 2,000 years ago.

Where Jesus is trying to change us, and we just want him to change our circumstance.

We try to make him king of our circumstance, but we won't let him be the king of our heart.

And as we see here in verse 15, they weren't too interested in that at this moment of Jesus becoming the king of their heart.

So Jesus just sees fit at this moment to just remove himself from the situation and he goes off alone.

And just kind of as a side note, do you remember the third temptation that Satan tempted Jesus with in the wilderness?

He said, Worship me and I'll give you all the kingdoms of this world.

Satan tempts him again with that same temptation right here of becoming a king in this world.

And Jesus resists that temptation once again, and he goes off to be alone.

Look at verse 16 with me.

When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum.

Other gospels tell us that Jesus specifically told his disciples to do exactly this.

It goes on in second half of 17.

Darkness had already set in, but Jesus had not yet come to them.

A high wind arose, and the sea began to churn.

The disciples' second lesson of the day is trusting Jesus in the storm, building their trust faith once again.

Verse 19.

After they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea.

He was coming near the boat, and they were afraid.

Yeah, I think I would be too.

First off, they were rowing three or four miles.

If you're rowing three or four miles on a clum sea, that's hard enough.

My back would be screaming at me after half a mile, I think.

But when waters get choppy, think of how much harder that is to be rowing for three or four miles.

These guys must be at their absolute end of their physical strength.

They were already tired before feeding the 5,000.

Then they feed the 5,000.

Then they row three or four miles in a storm until the fourth watch, Matthew tells us.

So they're rowing about six to nine hours total in this storm.

And I think what's happening is Jesus allowed them to get to the point where they had nothing left to give of their own strength.

And then they see this image of a man coming toward them.

And I can just see them thinking, like, of course, a ghost.

What else could happen today?

You know?

Look at verse 20.

But he said to them, It is I.

Don't be afraid.

Then they were willing to take him on board, and at once the boat was at the shore where they were heading.

Don't be afraid.

You know, when we are in the middle of a storm, when we've come to the end of our own ability, the end of our own strength, when we've maybe given up all hope, Jesus says, don't be afraid.

These guys, these disciples that are in this boat, they were going to face so much in their ministry after Jesus' ascension.

And I really believe he was just trying to teach them a deeper trust, faith in him, and not in their own ability.

In Matthew's account of this, we learn that Jesus was watching them from the mountain.

He was watching them struggle in the middle of the sea, in the middle of the storm.

And Jesus saw them struggling.

And it doesn't say that Jesus ran on water.

It says that he walked on water.

He let them struggle while they were doing exactly what he told them.

They were crossing the lake just as Jesus had ordered.

I think we really need to get it out of our head, out of our mindset, that if we're in God's will, that things are going to be easy.

You know, we see right here that we can be in the middle of God's will, following his divine instruction, and at the same time be struggling in a storm.

With no indication of progress and with no end in sight, and we can still be in the center of God's will.

You know, the disciples thought that the end goal was getting to the other side of the lake, didn't they?

When Jesus' end goal, I think, was to build their faith.

And I think we can know that because once Jesus' purposes were accomplished, they miraculously were transported to the shore that they've been trying to get to for the last six to nine hours.

It says that once the boat was at the shore where they were heading.

Jesus had accomplished what he wanted to accomplish, and the boat shows up at the shore.

You know, sometimes the Lord's direction is not about the destination, but what he wants to accomplish in us through the journey.

And we didn't even get to Peter walking on the water here.

That was a whole nother thing.

But I can testify firsthand from personal testimony that in the most frustrating times of struggling, while following God's divine direction, he was changing me.

It wasn't so much about the destination, it was about him wanting to change me in the midst of a storm.

You know, I've mentioned this to multiple of you before, but the first two years of vocational ministry for me, it was back in 2007 when I was nine.

Those two years of vocational ministry, the first two years, were probably the most miserable time I can remember in my life.

Where I felt like I was on this lake, rowing this boat in a storm, alone, seeing no progress, seeing the waves look like they were just getting bigger and bigger.

Where it felt like daily, and I think I did, daily, I was asking God if I could quit.

And him just telling me, keep running, just keep rowing.

Not realizing what he was doing at the time, not realizing how he was using that time to change me, humbling me, breaking my pride, dealing with my fear of men.

And it took a storm, it took a lot of floundering to learn that lesson and for him to bring me to the place he desired for me to be.

And as miserable as those two years were, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

If I could go back and change the past, I would not change those two years.

And the lessons that I learned in those times that I needed to learn and that Jesus needed that time to shape and to mold me for my own good and for my own growth.

Just like I think we're seeing right here with these disciples.

And I really think that that's our takeaway today, that storms and trials are not bad things in a Christian life.

And we need to stop looking at them as being these bad things that we just need to get to the other side.

You know, sometimes storms can be signs of disobedience and judgment.

Um, you know, something, maybe I should say consequences and discipline within our walk, but they're not signs of disobedience and judgment.

You know, these disciples were doing exactly what Jesus told them to do, to teach them and to teach us now through this story to trust him.

That he can do a lot with a little, and that we can trust him in the storms of life.

When we feel like we have absolutely nothing left to give, or we feel like we have too little to give.

Or even maybe when we feel like maybe God abandoned us.

I wouldn't be surprised if that was running through a couple of disciples' minds as they were out in the middle of that sea.

But the thing is, Jesus is working, he's watching, he's accomplishing his perfect will.

So I think we need, instead of asking God to remove us from whatever the circumstance we're in, I think he wants us to find the purpose behind the storm and to submit to the way that he wants to change us.

You know, to seek him for what he wants to accomplish in us in the storm.

And for us to allow him to change us and to trust him more.

Because, like I said, that's a part of the sanctification process, becoming more and more like Jesus.

You please pray with me.

Lord, as hard as it is to be going through trials, to be going through storms, to maybe be going through doubts, to have questions for you that we don't see answers to.

As hard as that is, Lord, would you teach us to trust you in those moments?

Would you teach us to get out of the mentality of we just need to get to shore?

But to get into the mentality of, okay, God, what are you trying to teach us now?

Asking Jesus, where are you in this moment as we see you walking toward us on the water?

Lord, I pray that we wouldn't despise storms because they're so hard, but we would look for what you desire to accomplish in us in those times.

And that we would have multiple hearts and minds and attitudes of, okay, God, this is hard, but what do you want to change in me in this time?

How do you want to make me more like Jesus in this time?

And Lord, would you build that trust to where we can trust you in every circumstance?

Lord, as we see these disciples go out after your ascension, after the coming of the Holy Spirit, we see them do amazing, incredible things through literal storms, through shipwrecks, through floggings and stonings and being beaten with rods and whips.

But Lord, you had taught them a trust faith.

That even when they were going through all of those things, they knew that you were watching, they knew that they were being obedient to you, they knew that they were in the center of your will at that time, and they trusted you through all of the persecution, through all of the martyr, martyrdom that so many of them went through.

Lord, would you give us that same faith?

And would you teach us, whatever it takes, Lord, would you teach us, no matter what the storm may be, may we just be clay in your hands in those moments we pray.

Lord, you are awesome.

You are worthy, you are perfect.

Help us to trust you and to believe all of those things about you.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.