The day had started with a miracle. Jesus fed more than five thousand people with a boy’s lunch, and there were twelve baskets of leftovers.
That night, the disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, rowing into the wind in the dark. Jesus wasn’t with them. A storm came up. Then they saw Him walking toward them on the water, and they were terrified.
But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. (John 6:20–21)
This is a story for disciples, for people who are trying to follow Jesus. If that’s you, you can own every word of it. If it isn’t you yet, listen in. The invitation is for you too.
He’s sovereign over all of it
Look at everything Jesus is in charge of in this one chapter:
- Their provision. He fed the crowd and had food left over.
- Their itinerary. He sent them across the lake.
- Their capacity. They were rowing late at night, tired after a long day.
- Their storms. He can stop a storm. He can also send one.
- Their safety. They got to the other side.
- Their emotions. Their fear and their gladness.
- Their training. Every bit of it was teaching them something.
That last one matters most. Jesus is always training His people.
The training
Earlier that day He’d tested Philip: “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” (John 6:5). He already knew what He was going to do. He wanted to see what Philip would say.
Matthew’s account of the same night adds a scene John leaves out. Peter asks Jesus to call him out onto the water. He steps out of the boat and walks toward Jesus, and then he sees the wind, gets scared, and starts to sink. Jesus catches him and says, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31).
I love that. Little faith. Not no faith. Peter got out of the boat. Nobody else did. And when he started to sink, Jesus didn’t let him drown. He grabbed him.
That’s how we learn. Not by never being afraid, but by being afraid and finding out Jesus is right there.
Disciples still get scared
Being a disciple doesn’t mean you never feel fear. It doesn’t mean you never doubt. The trained disciple learns to take those first feelings and bounce them straight to God.
David put it simply: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you” (Psalm 56:3). Not “I’m never afraid.” When I’m afraid.
People who don’t follow Jesus face the same storms we do: the diagnosis, the layoff, the phone call in the night. The difference isn’t the size of the storm. It’s who’s in the boat.
Real change costs something
The writer James Baldwin once said that any real change means the breakup of the world as you’ve always known it, and the end of safety. He’s right. Following Jesus will cost you the illusion that you’re in control.
But here’s the trade: you lose the illusion and gain the real thing. A Lord who walks on the water you’re drowning in and says, “It is I; do not be afraid.”
If you’re in the storm right now
- Tell Him you’re scared. He already knows. Say it anyway.
- Remember the baskets. Think back to the last time He came through. The disciples had seen a miracle that same day.
- Take Him into the boat. That’s what they did. Invite Him into the specific thing you’re facing.
- Step out where He calls. Little faith that obeys is worth more than big talk that stays in the boat.
If you’re ready to stop white-knuckling the oars and start living with Jesus in the boat, that starts with putting your faith in Him. Little faith is enough to start.