TO CHEW ON: "Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marvelled. For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened." Mark 6:51-52
We expect to see the masses with "hardened hearts" but the disciples?
[Hardened - poroo means to petrify, form a callous, make hard. the word is used metaphorically of spiritual deafness and blindness" - Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1364.]
In what ways were the disciples' hearts hard? They were not Jesus's enemies, resisting and arguing with his teachings like the scribes and Pharisees, were they?
Mark tells us their shock at seeing Jesus walk on the water and then calm the storm was proof of their hard hearts. It showed they hadn't understood the loaves and fishes miracle and let it change them in a fundamental way.
So what was there to understand about it?
Perhaps foremost that Jesus had power over nature and natural processes? Their minds were so set on the natural interpretation of life that even seeing and eating Jesus' miracle meal made no lasting impression
Could we be guilty of the same thing? We're in need, we pray, we get answers to prayer. But somehow, the next time a storm comes along we find we haven't let those answers change our outlook. We demonstrate by our fearful and jumpy reaction to trouble that our hearts are the same. We're still expecting to do life on our own and at some deep level believe that things can't possibly turn out well because the situation looks so bad.
May the fact of God's omnipotent all-sufficiency penetrate and soften our stony hearts so they beat with a lively, vibrant faith in Him in all situations.
PRAYER: Dear God, I confess I have been guilty of this kind of hard heart that hasn't learned to trust You through Your past interventions. Please soften my hard heart. Amen.
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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
