Picture this: you're one of the twelve disciples sitting in a boat with Jesus. You just witnessed Him feed four thousand people using a child's lunch. As the Pharisees were annoying Him with their foolish arguments, He told the twelve to get in a boat with Him, set off and go to the other side of the lake.
As you paddle away from shore and it gets progressively smaller in the distance, you look around and discover something: we forgot to bring enough bread!
"Hey guys!" Everyone looks your way. "I think we have a problem...Peter only brought one loaf of bread for all twelve of us. How are we going to eat lunch?"
The boat opens up with a resounding chorus of groans, "How could we forget the bread?"
"What are we going to do now?" Peter says, looking at Jesus.
Jesus chuckles and gives Peter a reassuring smile, "Watch out, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod..."
"It was your fault." John glances over at James.
"My fault?" James holds out his hands in unbelief. "How is it my fault?"
"I told you to pick up some loaves of bread for the journey, not one loaf."
"What are we going to do now?!" You yell.
"Yeah, way to go, James!" John gives him a shove.
"Hold it!" Jesus' voice reverberates over everyone's noise, bringing it to a halting silence.
"Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many buckets full of broken pieces did you take up?"
"Twelve," you all continue looking at Him.
"And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?"
"Seven."
"Do you not yet understand?"
Silence. You all look at each other and shrug.
"What is he talking about?" John looks at James, who shakes his head in disbelief.
"So what are we going to do?" you say again, hoping for an answer.
I know none of you have ever been in a boat with the Son of God, but I think we've all been in a situation like this: we get too worried about the circumstances around us, upset at others, and overwhelmed. I had this happen to me yesterday: in the morning, I had a wonderful time alone with God, a refreshing time of prayer in the car on the way to work, and a peaceful time working at Sports Authority. I spent lots of time alone, so I was able to reflect and pray while working (God has blessed me with the gift of multi-tasking).
Then I came home and realized a bitter reality: I have a lot of work to do and little time to do it. All afternoon I was hectically filling out paperwork and anxiously looking at my massive to-do list. If God said something to me about a truth or His peace, I totally ignored it, consumed by the worries drowning me.
My heart was hard.
I encourage myself and YOU to remember this promise of God when times are tough:
"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside still waters,
He restores my soul..." -Psalm 23:1-3a
Even though the trials can be tough, remember that in Jesus the pastures are green and the waters are still. Therefore be still, listen, trust, and know He is God. Who knows? Maybe He has some neat theological truth to show you about the circumstances around you that will make you go, "Hmm! Thanks God!"
May you and I in the midst of extreme trial and circumstances not bicker, argue, bite our nails, tense our shoulders, doubt, fear, get angry, BUT remember His promise for us as the solid rock of our salvation.
If you want a better interpretation of the scene described above, please check out Mark 8:14-21.
