In The Same Boat

^{Mark 8: 16}  They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”

¹⁷ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? ¹⁸ Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? ¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

“Twelve,” they replied.

²⁰ “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

They answered, “Seven.”  ²¹ He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

Reading how the disciples had not long ago witnessed Jesus take a few loaves of bread and broke them into pieces to feed 5,000 and 4,000 people, and now they are in a boat with Jesus and now they all forgot their lunch pail and are all grumbling over food.  Can you imagine already forgetting what Jesus had done and knowing He can and has provided for you before?

Well it’s exactly what I do many times a day and I bet you do too!  We forget what God has already done and let our set of circumstances define the situation.

• We see how our kids are struggling in school but forget about how God delivered the same child out of shyness to become an outgoing child.
• We see how sick a parent is and feel the overwhelming circumstances of it all but forget about how God showed up big time and saw us through the last time.
• We see how we are both out of jobs and unsure of our future and forget about the time God provided for us through a full year of unemployment!
• We see how impossible every thing looks but forget how all things are possible through Christ! 

 As the many times God has provided for me floods my mind, I still go back to my problems and that's when God hits me upside the head and He says, “Hello, do you still not understand?  Don’t you get it yet!  It’s going to be just fine! I got this! Just like every other time! Understand!”  and then in that instance my heart begins to melt. 

Our hearts can get hardened by our circumstances.  Anytime what we are going through is more of the focus than God our hearts begin to turn to stone.   That’s why it is important to come to God with all of our problems first.  The disciples had Jesus right there and all they had to do was ask him what they should do about not having any lunch.  Jesus was in the SAME BOAT as they were and they let their circumstances be the main focus and not Jesus and there are plenty of times we all do the same thing!  Jesus is in the SAME BOAT we are in each and everyday.  Look to him for answers  and keep the focus there!