The Lord showed me through the account of Jesus walking on the water as recorded in John 6 and Mark 6 that many of you find yourself in the midst of intense battle or an intense storm. The results of the storm leaves you feeling the things God promised are not going to come to pass and you feel your boat is about to sink. You have been standing for some things, believing for some things and you felt you were moving in the right direction but there has been such intense warfare, spiritual storms and circumstantial storms. It appears all the hopes and all the promises are about to sink and you are not going to make it all the way to fulfillment.
In the story of Jesus walking on the water in John 6 and Mark 6 we have Christ just having fed the 5000; he goes up alone on a mountain to pray but before he sends his disciples in a boat ahead of him to go to the other side – Bethsaida. Now it is important to note in the Mark passage, Jesus tells them to ‘go before him to the other side’. After rowing all night probably about three or four miles, a great storm comes upon them. The disciples feared the boat was about to sink and were frightened. What they didn’t realize in the midst of the storm, that the Sea of Galilee is only about 4 miles wide. They were very close to the shore, probably within 100 yards or so and yet they were beginning to despair. It says they were straining at the oars and the wind was against them. At some point in that place of despair they notice someone walking towards them. Of course they were frightened because they had never seen it before – it was Jesus coming towards them. When Jesus comes to them he says ‘don’t be afraid, it is I’. The literal translation is ‘don’t be afraid it is ‘I am’. Another narrative says that Jesus could see them straining at the oar – in the natural no man could see that far in the midst of a storm or at night, Jesus was seeing them in the spirit. The Father was giving him insight into what was going on. When Jesus comes to them and says ‘I am’, what he was saying was: “even though you felt I have not been with you in the midst of this storm but I have been with you the whole time. ‘I am’ totally aware of everything that has been going on and ‘I am’ still in control. The devil is not in control, the storm is not in control, ‘I am’ in control and you’ve not been left alone. I told you were going to go to the other side and you are going to make it because ‘I am’ in the midst of all of this. I know what ‘I am’ doing and fully aware of what you are going through, I have not left you alone at all. Now ‘I am’ here in the midst of the storm to bring you all the way to the fulfillment of the promise I have given you”.
That’s the time I believe we are in. Many of you have received promises from the Lord and you have been standing in faith for them even though it seems that in the midst of them the promise is going sink. It feels as if Jesus has abandoned you or abandoned your promises or maybe you think you got it wrong and the enemy is causing you to doubt. This word is intended for YOU to hear that Jesus is totally aware of everything you are going through. When Jesus was on that mountain he was interceding for them and he is interceding for you. He is praying what he always for us; that our faith won’t fail. He has allowed the storm to come near the end because it’s part of the process of teaching us how to have spiritual muscle’s in our faith, to be finishers in our faith. So the author and the perfector of our faith, the finisher of our faith is praying for us to be finishers. He is praying we see all of the things that God has promised us so we won’t bail out at the end, so we won’t stop believing when we are so close.
In the John passage it says once the storm was calmed, immediately they were at the shore. In other words, they were so close but they couldn’t see it. They were so consumed with the storm, with the battle they couldn’t see how close they were. This is a word for YOU. You are so close to seeing the fulfillment of God’s promises in your life. The Lord Jesus has allowed the storm and the warfare going on makes it feels like everything is going to sink, everything is going to be for nothing. Jesus is saying to you today, you will make it to the other side because he has promised. This has intended to teach you to have finishing faith. He is with you, he is the ‘I am’, he is the one in control, he is the one who will be faithful, He is keeping his word. Just keep standing in faith. Don’t allow the storm to cause you to fall into unbelief. You are almost there you are going to make it, God will be faithful with his word, you will go all the way and experience the promises of God in your life. The great ‘I am’ is with you, no storm will sink his promises.