There are times in our Christian lives when we need to experience an expeditious move by God. In those moments, we feel pressed on all sides and crushed by the forces of life. Particularly, many of us have been waiting in the hallway for so long that our faith has started to falter. If that sounds like you, keep reading about how you can start to experience your immediate miracle.
Mark 6:45–52 states:
45 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home. 46 After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.
47 Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. 48 He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. 50 They were all terrified when they saw him.
But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here!” 51 Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, 52 for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in. (New Living Translation, 1996/2015)
Immediately After This…
Notice that the text starts, “Immediately after this.” Generally speaking, whenever the Bible focuses our attention on a previous event, we should understand that both the present and preceding texts are critical to comprehension. Therefore, in this instance, we must focus our attention on the Bible’s previous recounts of how Jesus multiplied five loaves of bread and two fish so that he and his disciples could feed 5,000 people. Correspondingly, the texts read:
35 Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. 36 Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.”
37 But Jesus said, “You feed them.”
“With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!”
38 “How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.”
They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.” (New Living Translation, 1996/2015)
“You Feed Them”
In verse 37, Jesus said, “You feed them.” Indeed, Jesus would not have said this had he not thought that they had the ability to do so. In fact, prior to that episode, the disciple had just returned from ministering to others. Although the Bible did not reveal what they preached about, we could imagine that it had to do with Jesus and his miracles. Admittedly, they had seen Jesus up close and personal, and they knew what he was capable of. Likewise, Jesus had trained the disciples and knew that they had the capacity to perform miracles as he did. That’s why he told them, “You feed them.”
Fear and Unbelief
Unfortunately, like many of us, the disciples struggled with fear and unbelief. For example, just moments after experiencing an astounding miracle, they were floundering in their boat and fighting against the winds and the waves. At this stage in their walk with Jesus, they should have been able to tap into their authoritative dominion and rebuke the element. Again, Jesus had confidence that they were capable. In fact, Mark 6:48 says, “Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them.” Additionally, verses 51–52 say,” 51 Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, 52 for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in. (New Living Translation, 1996/2015)
Jesus’s Faith in Us
In the previous passages, there were two main factors that struck me. First, Jesus had faith in the disciples. Perhaps Jesus had intended to walk past them because he knew that he had already equipped them and that they were fully capable of performing their own miracle. Second, the disciples no faith in Jesus or in themselves. In both miraculous episodes (feeding the multitude and walking on water), the disciples were shocked that Jesus could perform such a feat. Beyond their shock, they also experienced a level of disbelief. In fact, the text says that they didn’t understand the miracle of the loaves and that their hearts were too hard.
Just like the disciples, I wonder whether God is saying that one of the reasons why many of us have not experienced our breakthrough is not because God isn’t stepping up; it’s because we aren’t. Perhaps God, like when Jesus was on the water, has intentionally walked past us because he knows that he has already equipped us with what we need to speak to the storm in our lives. Additionally, we should remember that if God has walked past us, it means that his glory has already gone before us.
Jesus’s Immediate Miracle
In the story of Jesus and the fig tree, the Bible says,
18 In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry, 19 and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” And immediately the fig tree withered up.
20 The disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”
21 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. 22 You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.” (Matthew 21:81-22, New Living Translation, 1996/2015)
Experiencing an Immediate Miracle
Today’s question is: Could we experience an immediate miracle if we decided to have faith and not doubt?
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