Trials as friends? Not the usual moniker we are likely to hang on these pesky invaders! Yet trials are a vital part of the Christian life and we are encouraged to welcome them as friends that they might do their work and prove our faith sincere…
Disappointment
If you’ve never found yourself disappointed in God, hang on. Sooner or later—days, weeks, months, maybe years—it’s going to be your turn. And if you don’t think it can happen to you, then you’ve forgotten that the student is not above his Master.
Lessons at Sea
Like many of the events recorded for us in the Gospel records this incident takes up little space on the written page yet provides a wealth of insight into the Person of Jesus Christ and our relationship to God through Him.
The setting for the event lies at the conclusion of an extraordinary day, one in which the divinity of Jesus is displayed through the feeding of five thousand by means of a small boy’s contribution of five barley loves and two fish. Jesus transformed these meager ingredients into enough food to satisfy all present and the miraculous sign was further evidenced by the collected remnants—enough to fill twelve baskets. (Perhaps one for each of his astonished disciples?) The response of the well-fed multitude was a desire to take Jesus by force and make Him king. Such are the hazards of miracles: signs meant to read one thing are misread by many.