47 Later 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 were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened. Mark 6:47-52

The storm had been raging for some time by the time Jesus approached them on the water. The Sea of Galilee is 12 miles by 6 at its longest and widest. Even if they were in the middle, Jesus still had to walk three miles over a stormy lake. The Man Who Calmed the Storm took His time. His disciples were not in danger even though they thought they were. No doubt they struggled and complained and yelled and got excited.

Then came the “ghost” toward them. If the storm and rain weren’t bad enough, they had to contend with some phantom figure doing something that is humanly impossible!

How quickly they forgot. They were missing a key player in their boat, the same One they woke during the last storm. But in the midst of their frantic actions, they had forgotten that the Man Who Calmed the Storm had stayed back on land. It didn’t dawn on them that it could be Jesus Himself approaching them on the water.

I imagine there was awkward silence after Jesus climbed into the boat with a calmed sea. Little by little Jesus, the second Person of the Trinity, was unfolding before them in real-time.

Eventually they would “get it” but not before they got a few bumps and bruises along the way.

It’s amazing how much I see myself in all of them, doing the same things, forgetting the same truths, fearing similar fates.

We all relate to them more than we want to admit.

We forget His grace.
We forget that even though we can’t see Him, he’s working on our behalf.
We forget that He has the power over the events of this world.
We forget that rough seas are what toughen us.

But, once again, Jesus climbs into our boat and the storm is no longer raging out of control for He is the Man Who Calms Our Storms.