"Immediately, he spoke to them and said, 'Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.' Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened."
Mark 6:50b-52
Do you remember when God intervened in an impossible situation and how He blessed you in the middle of a crisis?
The disciples had just seen Jesus miraculously feed 5,000 men and their entire families with two fish and five loaves of bread. That same night, they found themselves frightened in a storm, quickly forgetting that great miracle. We also tend to have short memories when it comes to crises and the hardships of the faith journey.
For some reason, it's easy to forget God's past faithfulness when a new obstacle threatens to derail our lives.
Jesus told His disciples to expect challenges. Don't be surprised when trials appear, when you don't understand what's happening or why. This is part of life. Instead, stop and remember what God has done in the past. Hold onto the faith of yesterday to get through today.
Look back before moving forward.
The children of Israel experienced this same fear and uncertainty. On the brink of entering the Promised Land, they were overcome by fear and began to panic at the obstacles standing in the way. That's when Moses stepped in – he told them to look back – look back at the miracles God performed in the past.
But the people were only focused on the problem, the enemy. And the longer they focused on the problem, the faster their fear grew. They quickly forgot the miracles God performed in Egypt only a short time earlier to free His people from slavery.
In the same way, Jesus says to us: Stop. Remember. Look back. Look back to the miraculous power of God. Look back to how God has blessed you in the past as you face big challenges today. Remember how your Heavenly Father has met your needs in the past.
Stop. Remember. Look back — to move forward.
