Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went. — John 6:21
I am always a little skeptical of inviting people into my house or even my car. Call me paranoid, but I have always heard the stories about how people have been taken advantage of, robbed, carjacked, or many other things that can happen. I’m always a little nervous to just invite someone into my home or car.
I had to get over that situation some time ago when we sold our house. During the process of the sale, we had to have work done on our home. Our real estate agent and others that we knew worked with us to find workers to help get the work done in a timely manner. Many of them I had never met before.
The difference was I found myself in a place of need. I needed someone that knew how to repair specific items. Their knowledge of electricity, plumbing, construction, and construction codes was valuable. They were the only way for us to reach our goal of selling our home so we could move into our new home.
While there are many ways to read the story above, this verse in John is often overlooked. I always am amazed that John called out specifically that they “willingly” accepted Jesus into the ship. Why? Because they were in the middle of a storm. The wind was blowing, the sea was raging, and they were startled seeing someone walking near them on the water!
It’s a great reminder that as we find ourselves facing the difficulties and struggles of life, why are we struggling when we have the One who controls the storm living inside? Rather than struggling and keeping Him outside of our storm and situation, we should willingly receive Him into the storm so He can calm the situation in our life. He wants to be with you in the storm, but you have to let Him in.
