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Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side…
The boat was…battered by the waves, because the wind was against them. (Matthew 14:22, 24)

Following Jesus doesn’t mean the wind will always be at your back. On the contrary, the wind is often against you.

Put yourself in the scene. A miraculous multiplication of loaves and fish. Thousands of people satisfied. The power of Jesus on full display.

Now Jesus says, “Take the boat to the other side while I go pray.” In other words, As you obey Me, I’m going to be absent. The disciples might have seen the first clue that this little task wasn’t going to be easy.

I imagine the disciples battling the waves and steering against the wind, wondering why it’s so difficult to do the simple thing Jesus requested. Can you hear their thoughts?

Why in the world is this so hard?

He can feed thousands, but we can barely steer a boat.

Why does He insist on disappearing at the worst possible times?

The Wind is Against You

You ever been there? You’re listening to Jesus and seeking to follow His instructions, and it seems like the wind is against you.

Sometimes people talk as if following Jesus makes life better and easier. You’re right that Jesus makes life better, but don’t think following Jesus makes your life easier. Coming to Christ will complicate your life. You must now take into consideration whatever He teaches on a given subject. You make decisions with King Jesus on the throne instead of King You.

Still, we are surprised when it seems like everything is against us. The wind you thought you’d have at your back is actually against you.

The Gusts of Doubt

That’s when the doubts creep in. What am I doing wrong? I’m trying to obey Jesus here and He’s not making it easy!

You look at your kids and wonder if you’re parenting the way you should be. But there’s this wall of wind against you as you try to reach your kid’s heart.

You’re trying to be a witness at work, but you are ostracized because word’s gotten out that you believe some pretty backwards things about morality and sex and religion, and stuff like that.

You’re a pastor trying to stir up passion in the hearts of your people, only to find your efforts fail to break through the winter chill.

You’re trying to stay pure as a young adult, but temptations are tough. Your parents and friends aren’t making it any easier because they keep convincing you to delay marriage.

Feeling battered by the waves? Feeling like the wind is against you? Take heart. The storm isn’t the sign you’re doing something wrong. It may be the sign you’re doing something right. 

Are You a Salmon or a Lemming?

Brian Dodd, in Empowered Church Leadership, uses the example of lemmings and salmon to talk about taking the hard road.

Every four years, the Norwegian lemming population migrates in search of food, through lakes, rivers, mountain passes. Many of these gerbils reach the sea and then drown. It’s cult-like in the way they plunge to their death. It’s a sad ending to an adventure.

Salmon, on the other hand, swim out of the ocean upstream for hundreds of miles. They batter their bodies against the current to the place they can lay their eggs and then die. They go in the direction they were designed to go, regardless of personal cost.

The Christian is like a salmon, not a lemming. As Chesterton said, “Any old dead thing can float downstream.”

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

We swim upstream, batter our bodies for the sake of the kingdom, and plant the Word as seed before giving our last breath.

The good news is, even when the wind is against us, the One who has power over the wind and waves is never far away.

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