6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,

7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold

— 1 Peter 1:6-7

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.

— James 1:13

16 When evening came, His disciples went down to the sea,

17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.

18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing.

19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened.

20 But Jesus spoke up: “It is I; do not be afraid.”

21 Then they were glad to take Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

— John 6:16-21

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, joy and peace from Christ to you!

Though God cannot be tempted with evil and He Himself tempted no one, He does allow His people to go through trials for strengthening their faith. After Jesus withdrew from the satisfied crowds, He did intentionally send His disciples back toward Capernaum on a boat while He sought solace with His Father. The feeding of 5000+ people trained His disciples to serve, but building up their faith remained foremost in Jesus’ mind. He sent His disciples straight into a trial that would test and strengthen their faith. They boarded a boat and waited for the Lord to rejoin them. Jesus gave them another opportunity to see His supernatural power and trust Him more.

Many of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen and familiar with sailing across water. That night a sudden storm with mighty winds and rough waters buffeted the disciples while they franticly rowed for miles. At this time they saw a figure, defying the laws of physics, walking toward them on the water. The disciples were racked with fear. Jesus, understanding their disturbed emotions, called to them and spoke gently to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Immediately, the disciples welcomed their Lord, their Comforter, into their boat. They reached their destination right away. Jesus’ words and presence during this tumultuous scene reached His disciples, which relieved their fears and greatly strengthened their faith.