Be of good cheer
“BUT when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out” (Mark 6:49). The disciples couldn’t believe that Jesus was walking on top of the very thing that was about to destroy them. Jesus was so cool and in control. When we’re overwhelmed by the storm, it can cause us to miss the Lord and not draw on His supernatural ability. We can’t believe that the very thing that is overwhelming us is nothing to God.
We miss the fact that He can walk on top of the very problem that’s about to drown us. Many times we’re looking for the Lord to be as worried and upset as we are. We think He’s going to wring His hands and say, “This is a really big problem!” But that is never going to be the response of the Lord. Some people say, “Oh we need to pray. We need lots of people to fast and pray together. It’s going to take two, three, or four hundred people on the prayer chain praying because this is such a big deal. If God provides this miracle, all the lights of heaven are liable to dim. I’m not sure that He can actually pull this off ”.
They may not use this terminology, but they’re expressing the same concept. They think God is as overwhelmed as they are. Jesus is walking on top of the water- the very thing that’s overwhelming you. Whatever your situation is, it’s no problem for the Lord. The only thing that makes something a big deal is our unbelief.
We tend to magnify how terrible our situation is. However, it would do you good just to look at things from God’s perspective and realize that it’s no big deal. Jesus was walking on top of the very thing that was raging around the disciples, and they supposed it had been a spirit (Mark 6:49). In other words, they just couldn’t believe that this wasn’t bothering God. They couldn’t believe that He wasn’t struggling the same way they were. Surely, this was some kind of vision coming toward them. It couldn’t be real. Jesus couldn’t walk on top of water. That’s not normal.
It’s not natural. God isn’t limited the way we are in the physical realm. And yet, many times we really do think He is limited. Nothing, absolutely nothing is impossible with God. Of course He can handle any sickness, disease or any challenge you could be facing at the moment.
But we think, “this problem, school fees, a house payment, a loan repayment, a relationship challenge, whatever. This is just too big even for God.” We expect Him to feel like, “Hey, I just can’t pull this off in such a short time. I need more time to do it.” God isn’t like that. He can walk on top of anything that’s about to destroy us.
We need to get used to God being supernatural. Everyone struggles with this. Sometimes we live so much in the natural realm that it just seems like, “God, is there really a way out of this?” There’s always a way out, nothing is too difficult for God. Whatever our problem is, Jesus is on top of it. He’s not under it. He’s not sinking. He’s on top of it. This is no problem for Jesus. “God is not man that He should lie nor son of man that He should repent. Has He said it and will He not do it? (Numbers 23:19).
“For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and said to them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid” (Mark 6:50). This verse just shows how completely in control God is. The things that are bothering you aren’t bothering God. And if you would appropriate what is yours in Christ, then you don’t need to be bothered either. You really don’t. Why? Jesus said… “Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid” (Mark 6:50). The Lord was talking to people who may have thought they were going to drown. They could have been up to their necks in water in no time. These guys were sailors. They were not men who were easily frightened. It wasn’t because they had become afraid and were fearful over something that wasn’t truly a serious situation. In the midst of this crisis situation, Jesus told them, “Be of good cheer— it’s Me. Don’t be afraid”.
You might be in a situation right now where you think that there’s just no way you can really rejoice until you see absolute deliverance. However, you can get to a place right here in the midst of it where you’re of good cheer. “But Dr Doug, you haven’t been where I am. Although I probably haven’t been in your identical situation, the Bible says: “There is no temptation taken you but such as is common to man” (1 Corinthians 10:13). If you think that your situation is unique, you’re wrong. If you are exempting yourself from the encouragement I’m trying to give you because you say, “My situation is worse than yours,” then you’re exempting yourself from the answers you need to overcome.
No situation has taken you except what is common to man. I get the same stuff, it just comes wrapped in a different package.
But I have proved in my life over and over again that you can rejoice when there is no reason in the natural to do so, other than faith. You can rejoice when there’s no rationale, no proof, no evidence of anything—except your faith! “You’re a Good God”
You might be in the same position the disciples were in when the Lord told them to be of good cheer. The storm was still raging. The boat might have even been sinking. It looked like they could drown. Everything was still at its worst, but Jesus said, “Be of good cheer. It’s Me. Don’t be afraid.” Most people can’t be of good cheer until they see their physical problems resolve. Then, when everything works out, they’ll be of good cheer. But faith doesn’t work that way.
You must first get into faith, resist fear, and be of good cheer while the storm is still raging and the ship is going down. Then, afterwards is when you see the miracle. Think about this. If all the Lord wanted was for His disciples to be of good cheer, then He could have stilled the sea first and then their joy would have come. But He told them to be of good cheer before He stilled the storm. That’s because they needed to operate in faith to partake of His miracle. He was soliciting a response of faith from them. He’s seeking the same thing from us.
Anyone can be of good cheer and overcome fear once the storm stops and the boat is translated to the other side, but it takes faith to rejoice before you know what the outcome will be. This year as for my family and I we choose to walk on water trusting God to demonstrate His glory through us.