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Tunnel Vision

by Steve Countryman  
10/18/2014 / Christian Living

Mark 6:45-51 45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

47Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified.

Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." 51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down.

They traveled on the lake. The wind blew and the waves buffeted the boat. Most of the disciples new how to handle a boat in all kinds of water because they were fishermen. But the wind was against them and they had to lower their sails so that they wouldn't end up back where they started. They grabbed the oars and tried to get across the lake. Try as they might they couldn't make it across the lake. They rowed for hours through the night but to no avail. The trouble they faced was keeping them stuck out in the middle of the lake.

Their trouble had taken its toll on them and their strength. I imagine that they probably did some praying. One of them was in charge of the rudder while the rest took turns on the oars. It was just before dawn and they weren't any closer to making land than they were hours ago. In the distance was Jesus who had started walking out to them on the water.

It says that "He was about to pass by them." That is when I started thinking why Jesus decided to walk out to them on the water. He could have joined them in the boat just by willing it so and immediately appear there. He could have had the waves bring the boat over to the shore where He was and they could've picked Him up. He could've met them on the other shore when they eventually arrived. But Jesus didn't pick any of those things to do instead He walked on water and went out to them. Jesus wanted them to see Him coming out to them walking on the water. The same Jesus that multiplied the fish and the bread to feed five thousand just hours earlier was the same Jesus who came out to them walking on the water. He wanted them to know that the God of the impossible was in their midst.

He was about to pass by them when someone saw Him and cried out in fear. That means that Jesus didn't head straight for them but came at them more at an angle and was about to pass by them. If they hadn't noticed Jesus on the water then the answer to their prayers would have passed them by. The miracle that they so desperately needed showed up and His name was Jesus! When Jesus got into the boat the wind and the waves settled down and they made landfall.

We go through the same thing. We will struggle, fight, swear at, loose our temper at, become totally frustrated and angry with our problems before we even consider turning it over to Jesus. Tunnel vision takes over and we become so focused on our problems that it consumes all our time and thought processes. We continually think about our problems. We will tell ANYONE who will listen about our problems. Stirring it up and re-living our experiences over and over again every time we tell someone about them. Giving Satan all the glory for messing up our lives. Some people do it so often that they don't care how many times you have heard it they plan on telling you every time they see you. They do it so often that when you see them you turn and go the opposite direction to avoid them.

It is hard to have a testimony to share with others when all they hear from you is all about your troubles. Where is the victory in your life? What about the blessings and good things that God has done for you? It is easy to become so preoccupied with your troubles that you forget all about God, His blessings and goodness to the point of forgetting Him all together. Too often when we are at the end of our rope do we finally seek God for His help and advice. "Well I've tried everything else, I might as well pray about it." How about going to God first thing instead of the last thing. He has so many blessings planned for you that God doesn't want you to miss out on any of them. As time grows short and the return of Jesus draws closer there will be many opportunities for you to be blessed and be a blessing to others.

God the Father wants His blessings for you to manifest themselves to you, in you, with you, for you and through you. He wants them to do so in powerful ways that include you witnessing His awesome power and participating in His will fulfilled on the earth. Don't let Jesus pass you by. Don't let the answer to your prayers pass you by. Don't let your blessings pass you by. Don't miss out on all of the wonderful things that God has planned for you! Don't let tunnel vision cause you to miss out on what God has for you. Don't let your troubles and problems reign over you. Turn them over to Jesus.

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