And having seen that they were troubled and tormented in [their] rowing, for the wind was against them, about the fourth watch of the night [between 3:00-6:00 a.m.] He came to them, walking [directly] on the sea. And He acted as if He meant to pass by them, – Mark 6:48, Amplified Bible (AMP)

Not long ago, my good friend Guy brought to my attention a rather insightful point regarding Mark 6:48.

A few verses prior, in Mark 6:45, Jesus had commanded the disciples to hop into a boat and travel to Bethsaida, without Him, across the lake. He would follow soon after. While in the midst of obeying His command, the disciples rowed and rowed, but they were unable to make much progress because the wind was blowing against them. While still on the land, Jesus saw their struggle, but He made no effort to help them. During the fourth watch of the night [between 3:00-6:00 a.m.], Jesus drew closer to them by walking on the water, but He again made no effort to help. Then, in verses 49-51, the disciples cried out in fear, Jesus entered the ship, and then He calmed the wind and the waters so that they might complete the appointed task of crossing the lake.

What was the difference between verses 48 and 49-51? In verse 48, the disciples did not consider God’s strength as a way to confront their immediate need. They relied on their own, human strength instead. In verses 49-51, they acknowledged Christ’s supernatural power and presence, and in response, Christ lent a helping hand.

Many times God will respond the same way to our stubborn choice to rely on our own strength rather than His. God wants to help us in our daily struggles, but He will often delay in helping us until we see that our strength won’t cut it; His strength is what we need. Why does He often wait until we ask? The answer is in verse 52 (AMP):

For they failed to consider or understand [the teaching and meaning of the miracle of] the loaves; [in fact] their hearts had grown callous [had become dull and had lost the power of understanding].

When we rely on our strength, we do so because we have lost the power to understand who God is and how we are to interact with Him. In our minds we might acknowledge His strength and His glory, but in our hearts we’ve become callous, and serving Him without asking Him to help us is proof of our dullness. So, God stands back, watching us labor and toil without result until we realize that we’ve left out the most important ingredient in true success in this life: a rich, deep, interactive reliance on our Creator. When we acknowledge that missing ingredient, and when we ask God to supply it, He will.

Are you rowing your boat without Christ at the helm? Are you trying to do His will without His power? Then you will be just as frustrated at the disciples who rowed their boat to nowhere. Change your ways, ask God to supply His supernatural power to enable you to succeed in serving Him, and you’ll see the tremendous results that only God-enabled effort can produce.