I’m preparing to lead two different classes. Under pressure, I have a recurring nightmare and wake up in a sweat. In the dream, my classroom is not stocked, the students are wildly out of control, and I have forgotten to bring any of my teaching materials. Even though God has repeatedly supplied over the years in countless high-pressure situations, I still experience an undercurrent of doubt whenever I face a new project. In my recurring nightmare in the Land of Doubt, I forget Who God is.
SPIRITUAL AMNESIA
In Mark 8:1-21, the Disciples also experienced spiritual amnesia. The clock is ticking, and the crucifixion is less than a year away. Jesus leads the 12 into the territory of their enemies: the Gentiles. The Gentile mother’s daughter is healed, and Jesus provides a miracle meal for over 4,000 Gentiles. The leftovers from feeding of the 5,000 were 12 small baskets, but the leftovers from the 4,000 are 7 large hampers. Jesus is preparing the Disciples for the Great Commission: to go outside of Judea and to the ends of the earth. Their faith must stretch, but the 12 often dwell in the shadow of the Land of Doubt.
DIFFERENT LEVELS OF FAITH
Mark’s record reveals different levels of faith. The Gentile woman shines. The Disciples’ faith appears jumbled, often responding in confusion. At the bottom of the pile are the Pharisees. They track Jesus down, choose to ignore all His past miracles, and demand an astral miracle. Remember the story of Pharaoh? God kept piling up the plagues and the miracles, and Pharaoh’s heart grew harder. The Pharisees’ hearts are rock hard. John MacArthur writes, “When confronted by the light, they ran deeper into the shrouded gloom of their self-righteous traditions.” Most of the Pharisees lived in total darkness, well beyond the land of doubt.
MUDDLED FAITH
Have you ever experienced confusion in your faith? Do you think that clarity relies on you and your own abilities rather than the God Who hung the stars in place? In the boat, the disciples sat with the One Who had just fed 4,000 Gentile men. However, “they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread.” They are next to the One Who supplied manna for forty years to the Israelites, but their faith is muddled because of the state of their bellies. The last thing they had to worry about was food, yet doubt came to play.
Can you hear Jesus sigh? “He directed nine rapid questions to them. The first five reproved them for their obtuseness. The last four rebuked them for worrying about the supply of their needs as long as He was with them. Had He not fed 4,000 with 7 loaves, leaving 7 hampers full over? Yes, He had. Then why did they not understand that He was abundantly able to supply the needs of a handful of disciples in a boat? Didn’t they realize that the Creator and Sustainer of the universe was in the boat with them?” (Believer’s Bible Commentaryby William MacDonald).
WHO IS IN THE BOAT?
Thank God, the Sustainer of the universe is in the boat with me as I commence to teach my new classes. I work to prepare, but the ultimate conditions and results are all in His hands. Continually, I ask God to remind me Who He is and all the paths He has led me through.
Do you remember Who God is when you face your worst nightmare? Remember, He is in the boat with you. God never turns down the prayer of one who honestly prays, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)
