Why Did Jesus Send Them Straight into a Storm?

To illustrate this, look at the story where Jesus told His disciples to cross the lake right before a storm. This event, recorded in Matthew, Mark, and John, happened just after Jesus fed the 5,000. The disciples, some of whom were experienced fishermen, knew a storm was brewing, but Jesus urged them to go. Later that night, He saw them struggling in the wind and came walking on the water.

About the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.

– Mark 6:48

I love this. Jesus was literally walking on top of the very thing threatening their lives. You might be in a crisis right now, wondering, Lord, is this too big for You? But nothing is too big for Him.

Are You Making Your Problems Bigger Than God?

I once prayed for a man who listed half a dozen serious problems—neck pain, back pain, sciatica, all the way down to his feet. Then he said, “If I could just get rid of the neck pain, I could live with the rest.” I just looked at him and said, “Well, I understand. Maybe God can’t do it all at once. If we asked Him to heal you from head to toe, the lights in heaven might dim.”

The man chuckled and admitted, “That was really stupid, wasn’t it?” Yes, it was. But many of us think that way without realizing it. We act like our problems are bigger than God’s power.

The disciples did the same. They were straining at the oars, terrified for their lives, while Jesus was walking calmly on the water—as if it was no big deal. That picture encourages me every time. Whatever you’re facing—doctor’s report, bank account problems, strained marriage—it’s nothing for Jesus.

Why Would Jesus Walk Right Past Them?

Notice the Scripture says that He “would have passed by them.” He wasn’t out for a stroll; He was there to help. But He wasn’t going to force Himself on them. He came close enough for them to see Him, but if they hadn’t cried out, He would have walked on.

John 6:21 even says that when He entered the boat, they were instantly at the other shore. That’s amazing! But none of it would have happened if they hadn’t called out. James 4:2 says, “Ye have not, because ye ask not.”

We sometimes think, If God really loves me, why doesn’t He just fix my problem? But that’s not how His kingdom works. Ephesians 3:20 says that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think—according to the power that works in us. His power flows in proportion to the faith and love operating in us.

That’s why Jesus appeared as though He would pass by them. He was waiting for their response of faith.

Can You Rejoice Before the Storm Stops?

When the disciples finally saw Him, they cried out in fear. Jesus said, “Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid” (Mark 6:50). Think about that. The storm was still raging. The boat was still rocking. The water was still filling the boat. And yet Jesus told them to cheer up!

Faith rejoices before the breakthrough comes. Can you praise God for healing before the symptoms leave? Can you thank Him for provision before your bank account changes? Hebrews 11:6 says without faith it’s impossible to please God. Faith acts as if the Word is true, even before we see it.

Matthew adds another detail—Peter actually stepped out of the boat and walked on water for a short time. Then Mark 6:51 says that when Jesus entered the boat, the wind ceased, and the disciples were “sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.”

My Wake-Up Call

I know exactly what that feels like. Years ago, I tried to minister healing to a man in a wheelchair. In my zeal, I pulled him up, and he fell flat on his face.

That night when I went back to my hotel room, it really bothered me. I had recently seen someone raised from the dead, so there’s no way I wasn’t believing. If I hadn’t been believing, I wouldn’t have grabbed that man out of the wheelchair and pulled him up. I fully expected him to walk. I never doubted—not once. I expected a total manifestation, and when it didn’t happen, it shook me.

So I prayed, “God, what’s wrong here?”

You may be thinking, Well, maybe it just wasn’t God’s will. That’s not even an option for me. I’ve read the Word. Jesus said He was the exact representation of the Father (John 14:9). He said He only did what He saw the Father do (John 5:19). Jesus never left anyone sick if they were willing to receive.

Yes, Mark 6:5 says He could do no mighty work in His hometown, but that was because they refused to believe. Every single person who came to Jesus in faith received. No exceptions. So I know healing is God’s will. That’s settled.

And I also know we have to believe in order to receive (Mark 11:24). If you doubt, you do without. But in this case, I was believing. Now, people can criticize me and say, “No, you weren’t.” But the disciples faced the same thing. In Matthew 17, they tried to cast a demon out of a boy, and it didn’t work. Yet in Luke 10:17, we know they had done it before. They had the authority. They knew it was God’s will. And still, they didn’t get the right results.

That’s exactly how I felt 45 or 50 years ago after this negative experience. It really bothered me. I spent a couple of years praying about this and just asking, “God, why am I not seeing as many healings? I know it’s Your will. I believe it. So what’s wrong?”

The Unseen Obstacle

Then one day, flying across the Great Lakes into Chicago, I was reading Mark 6:51 and how the disciples “were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.” I closed my Bible, looked out the window at the blanket of clouds below, and imagined Jesus walking across them—or even sitting on the wing of the plane. To me, that seemed just as possible as Him walking on water.

I was just in this bubble of awe—just like the disciples were—of what a great miracle this was. But then I read verse 52: “For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.”

And that’s when it struck me. The reason the disciples were so amazed was because their hearts were hardened. And suddenly, I realized the same was true for me. And man, did that pop my bubble.

What Hardness Really Means

I had always thought a hardened heart meant open rebellion—people shaking their fist at God, living in sin, or denying Him altogether. And yes, people like that do have a hardened heart toward God. But I never considered myself as having a hardened heart toward God. I loved God. I had been seeking Him my entire life. If you had asked me, “Do you have a hard heart?” I would have said, “Absolutely not.” And yet Scripture showed me otherwise.

A hardened heart doesn’t just mean rejecting God. It can simply mean being more dominated by the natural than the supernatural. It means being so focused on the storm, the doctor’s report, or the bank balance that you miss the power of God right in front of you.

When I realized that I had a hardened heart, it was like a dagger stuck in me. And until I dealt with that hardness, I would stay “sore amazed” instead of walking in the fullness of what God had provided.

This One Shift Changes Everything

This truth is life-changing, and it’s something that I deal with every single day of my life—keeping my heart sensitive to God and hardening my heart toward the devil and toward unbelief.

A hardened heart will keep you from receiving what God has already made available. But once you recognize it, you can train your heart to focus more on the Word than on circumstances. When you do, you’ll stop being “sore amazed” and start living in the miraculous as your normal.

If you take hold of this truth, it will change the way you walk with God. You’ll move from begging for answers to confidently receiving them. You’ll see more healings, more breakthroughs, more provision—not because God changed, but because your heart did.

In my full teaching, I cover all three stages of a hardened heart—the crisis, the cause, and the cure—so I encourage you to get the materials and watch the programs. Let this revelation renew your mind. Understanding hardness of heart—and how to overcome it—can catapult you into a new level of seeing God’s power in your life.