My God is a Way-Maker Pt 4: The Other Side

“On that same day [when] evening had come, He said to them, Let us go over to the other side [of the lake]. And leaving the throng, they took Him with them, [just] as He was, in the boat [in which He was sitting]. And other boats were with Him. And a furious storm of wind [of hurricane proportions] arose, and the waves kept beating into the boat, so that it was already becoming filled. But He [Himself] was in the stern [of the boat], asleep on the [leather] cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, “Master, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Hush now! Be still (muzzled)! And the wind ceased (sank to rest as if exhausted by its beating) and there was [immediately] a great calm (a perfect peacefulness). He said to them, Why are you so timid and fearful? How is it that you have no faith (no firmly relying trust)? And they were filled with great awe and feared exceedingly and said one to another, Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey Him?” (Mark 4:35-41)

I have always loved the story where Jesus was sleeping in the boat in the middle of a storm. I mean, you want to talk about an example of PEACE in the middle of chaos? Wow!

But it wasn’t until recently that I noticed a connection between this story of the disciple’s test of faith and the preceding scriptures where Jesus was teaching in parables about the planting and growth of seeds.

Right before the stormy ride, Jesus taught the parable of the Sower, the Growing Seed, and the Mustard Seed. In particular, I want to focus on the parable of the Growing Seed:

“And He said, The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed upon the ground, And then continues sleeping and rising night and day while the seed sprouts and grows and increases—he knows not how. The earth produces [acting] by itself—first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe and permits, immediately he sends forth [the reapers] and puts in the sickle, because the harvest stands ready.” (Mark 4:26-29)

The connector between this parable and the trial on the boat is something called PROCESS.

The growth of seeds, like the growth of the Christian, both require PROCESS. Process is defined as a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end. The growth process of seeds and Christians have the same intended end, and that is to produce “fruit.”

Jesus was informing His disciples of this growth process so that they would not loose heart during the process.

The process begins in seedling form. So tiny. Seemingly so insignificant. BUT, packed with GREAT POTENTIAL!

In John 12:24 Jesus says “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains [just one grain; it never becomes more but lives] by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces many others and yields a rich harvest.”

Now He was foretelling of His Resurrection, but He also was teaching on the PROCESS of growth to His disciples.

I admit that I did not understand this scripture for many years. It wasn’t until recently that it clicked for me.

A seed is full of the potential of life. But it goes through a process to reach the fullness of that life. First it is planted, then germinates and sprouts, grows into a plant, and finally produces seeds full of the potential for life.

But what is the fate of the seed after the plant has grown? Is the seed still there? The answer is NO! Once the seed has sprouted and grown into a plant, it ceases to exist as a seed. Thus it is as if the seed has died. In truth, the seed has TRANSFORMED!

And that is what Jesus referred to in both Mark 4:26-29 and John 12:24.

The seed planted in the Christian is the Word of God. The word is sown and through process begins to transform the vessel until the vessel matures and eventually manifests fruit (in particular the fruits of the Holy Spirit).

Paul references this process in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God [all the while] was making it grow and [He] gave the increase. So neither he who plants is anything nor he who waters, but [only] God Who makes it grow and become greater.”

God brings about the process of growth in the Christian. This is the perfect place to begin looking at the natural process of seed growth.

What is a seed? Naturally, a seed is a plant’s unit of reproduction, capable of developing into another plant of its kind (check out Genesis 1:11-12).

Once you have a seed, the first part of the growth process is called germination. Germination is the development of a plant from a seed after a period of dormancy. It can also be defined as the process of something coming into existence and developing. So what is dormancy? Dormancy is a mechanism to prevent germination during unsuitable ecological conditions, when the probability of seedling survival is low (can anybody say “God has perfect timing!”).

Just so you know, a seed has an impermeable layer known as a “seed coat” that prevents the seed from taking in water and nutrients during this time of dormancy. In order to break this period of dormancy, the seed must go through an intense “breaking” in order for it to germinate and eventually grow into a plant.

Types of “Breaking”

NATURAL APPLICATION	SPIRITUAL APPLICATION
Fluctuating Temperatures (Hot/Cold)	Difficult Situations
Fire	Trials
Drying	Desert or Wilderness Experience
Passage through digestive tract of creature	Being “chewed up” by life

It is important to note that the timing of these events is critical to growth of the seed. How many of you know that God’s timing is absolutely PERFECT and that often what we see as His delay is actually His love in action. He knows the right time to bring about a series of growth in your walk. And if we are sensitive to His voice, and are staying in His word, we will have all that we need to make it through the process and become a mature follower of Christ.

Some of you may be in the seedling stage right now and cannot image making it to the fruit bearing plant stage. Imagine if a seed could speak. What would it say right as it was beginning to sprout? I imagine it would be something along the lines of “God this is too much to bear! I cannot take it anymore. I feel like I’m dying! This season is too hard!”

Does any of that sound familiar?

The seed doesn’t realize that it is in the midst of a glorious transformation. Christian, you are in the midst of a GLORIOUS TRANSFORMATION! It may seem like everything is falling apart, but in actuality, everything is falling into place.

The disciples experienced a similar moment out on the boat in the middle of the storm.

Not realizing WHO WAS WITH THEM, they began to panic and wonder if this was the end for them. They screamed at Jesus, “Master, do You not care that we are perishing?”

You see, they were coming out of their stage of dormancy. The “seed coat” had to be broken so that they could begin to grow and mature. But the process was shaking them, and lacking in faith they had determined that they were going to die. What is so interesting is how easily they had forgotten the first thing Jesus told them before heading out across the water. He had said “Let US go over to the OTHER SIDE.” He didn’t say let me go over to the other side or let us go out into the middle of the lake and drown……..

Jesus said “Let us go over to the other side.”

Child of God can I just say something to you? God will NEVER lead you somewhere and leave you there on your own! Wherever He leads, He does so with purpose and intention. Sometimes the journey for us seems to be too much, the terrain seems too daunting, but if God is leading you, you better make sure that you follow!

This reminds me of Exodus 15:22-27 when the Israelites began complaining about not having water to drink:

“Then Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea and they went into the Wilderness of Shur; they went three days [thirty-three miles] in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its waters for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah [bitterness]. The people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree which he cast into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. There [the Lord] made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He proved them, Saying, If you will diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord your God and will do what is right in His sight, and will listen to and obey His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon you which I brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord Who heals you. And they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees; and they encamped there by the waters.”

They were following the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night, which was the leading of the LORD. They had just been delivered from generations of bondage out of Egypt and God had split the Red Sea and made a path of dry ground for the Israelites to walk on through the opening, thus making a way of escape from their enemies. Yet here they are FREE men and women following the LORD crying out like the disciples to Jesus.

They are pretty much saying to God, “Do You not care that we are perishing?”

Now I admit, these Israelites had a tough “seed coat” to break, but nothing is too hard for the LORD. If they had just turned to God and asked for clean drinking water instead of complaining to Moses about not having clean drinking water, they would have come through the process so much quicker and better off. But we know that did not happen.

However, God in His mercy directed Moses on how to purify the water at Marah, but what is so interesting is just a short ways down the journey, the LORD brought them to a place of ABUNDANCE. They were led to an awesome oasis with more clean water than they needed. If only they had trusted in the LORD’s timing and guidance.

If only WE would trust in the LORD’s timing and guidance!

We are told in Romans 2:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].”

Embrace the PROCESS Child of the Most High God! God knows what is best for us and He alone can bring about the fulfillment of our purpose.

I love how Matthew Henry put it, “The work of grace in the soul is, at first, but the day of small things; yet it has mighty products even now, while it is in its growth; but what will there be when it is perfected in heaven!”

Yes indeed! What a hope we have in Jesus, that one day we will see Him face to face! Let us endure the things of this world with confidence and joy because they are, after all, temporary. We have an eternal hope through Jesus Christ that one day we will no longer suffer the trials, hurts, disappointments, sicknesses, losses, and persecutions of this world. But I want you to know this. We have beautiful promises here on earth as well! The sweet by and by is a wonderful promise, but what about that which God is doing for us, in us, and through us while here on earth? 

He has spoken to us “Let us go over to the other side.” That is not a reference to heaven, rather a reference to earthly purpose. Let us go over to the other side of this trial to shine a light in other dark places, to set free the captives, to heal the sick. And we will make it through if we are obedient to His leading. Because our God is a Way-Maker!!!! Glory to God!

If this speaks to you and hits you right in the middle of a tough stage in your growth process, I encourage you to not give up! Stay in the word of God, be consistent and steadfast in your prayer life, obey the leading of the LORD (even in the small things), and take heart that you will not be in this stage forever. God is leading you to a wonderful future full of His glory! Rejoice!!! Even if you don’t feel like it, I say “Rejoice!” Go ahead and thank the LORD for what He is about to do in your life. Reach out in faith and touch Him that you may receive what He has available for you. I love you and may God bless you ❤