Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Want More Calm in Your Life? | The Gospels | Mark 6:45–56

Episode Date: January 27, 2026

Do you find yourself searching for control when life feels uncertain? What if the peace you’re looking for comes from presence, not answers? In today’s episode, Tanya shares how Mark 6:45–56 shows that Jesus, the "I AM," is with us in the storm and calls us to seek calm through closeness with Him. Read the Bible with us in 2026! This year, we’re exploring the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Mark 6:45-56

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. In the time it takes to get to work. I'm Tanya Wilmuth. Does something that won't happen for another 80,000 years matter to you? That was the question I found myself turning over in my head while we were on vacation last week. We were out on the Pacific Ocean. We were staring up at what's called the Nepali Coast. It's on the north shore of Kauai.

And our boat captain started explaining the geology of the Hawaiian Island. So pretty fascinating. There are not just eight islands, the ones that we see and have named on our little globes. There are actually 137. Most of them, he explained, barely exist above sea level at this point. The islands are slowly migrating northwest toward Japan at a rate of about four inches per year. And as they drift, they move off the volcanic hotspot that once fed them. Without that source, the wind and the waves take over, erosion takes over, and they lose ground. Now, our finite minds struggle with that kind of time. 80,000 years from now, the island we were on is going to be gone.

But that seems too distant to feel relevant. But seeing those cliffs rise out of the ocean, I felt different. I felt less significant. Like the world will go on and on and on without me. Isaiah hits on this tension with beautiful language. the prophet asks, who else has held the oceans in his hands? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth, or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale? This is figurative language, yes, but also true. The Lord knows his creation, the way we know,

the roads that take us home, trails, they carry us to our favorite lookouts, the path from our bed to the bathroom in the middle of the night. And what do we know? Much, much less. Not our futures, not the way our day will even end, but we do know from his word and we can know personally the one who knows all things. Why does this matter? Well, there are going to be times in your life when you won't know how things will turn out. Some will be resolved and some will not. Some of these moments will be hard. One of the hardest things I went through in losing a parent with the waiting period for a diagnosis, even more than the diagnosis itself. One of the hardest things about having another parent with dementia is not knowing how quickly things will progress,

or if I will have it too. One of the hardest parts about being a parent is watching a child suffer and not being able to fix it. Life is full of mystery, and some of it is very uncomfortable. Today's passage is from Mark 6, verses 45 to 56, and we catch up with the decisive. We catch up with the in one of these moments where they don't know how things are going to go. See, they've just been with Jesus on the mountainside, where crowds, including thousands of people actually, had gathered to hear Jesus preach, and Jesus used a small lunch to feed everyone in the crowd.

After that crowd was dismissed, Jesus also kind of dismissed the disciples. He told them to go get in the boat and head back to Bethsaida, and Jesus himself went up on the mountainside by himself to pray. Now, sometime, in the middle of the people, of that night, Jesus looked out on the lake, and he saw the disciples. They were struggling at the oars. They were fighting against the wind. They didn't seem to be going anywhere. Now, it's not super clear from the verse how long he watched them, but just before dawn, he walks out to meet them

on top of the water. Now, when they saw Jesus passing by them, they didn't recognize him. They thought he was a ghost, and they were so afraid. And Jesus said, take courage. It is die. Don't be afraid. What he said to them, translated into the original language, is the same as an I am statement. Like, it is I. This should have made the disciples think about what God said to Moses when he said to tell the people, I am who I am, tell them, I am has sent you. Okay, now, don't move past this quickly, because Jesus is telling the disciples and us that, that He is sent by God, that He is God. The scripture tells us that the disciples didn't recognize Jesus at first because their hearts were hardened.

Perhaps they were thinking Jesus was the king that was going to keep giving them what they saw on the mountain that day. Food and safety, healing, a military leader that would protect them from the Roman oppressors. R. C. Sprow and his commentary on this passage says, their hearts are made of stone, for sin had caused great calluses to grow on their hearts so that Christ himself could walk on water in front of them and they still would not believe. Jesus wanted their eyes to be open to see that he is not a political king that will save them from their basic problems, even though he can. He is the king who has come to save them from sin and death.

When the reality of who Jesus was became apparent to the disciples, they were comforted and made it to shore. The disciples made it. But will we? In moments that are etched in mystery, note the events that are about to unfold are not a surprise to your creator. Remember that the outcomes are not out of his control. He is in the boat with you, giving you the guidance, support, and encouragement you need to paddle through the waves. He has also given you the ultimate promise that he will be with you forever. His constant presence is a comfort that he will not take away. It is helpful when we face

these moments of mystery in our lives to have memories that will guide us through. Now, what I mean by that is that we have to have created those memories that will guide us through. Keep track of times that God has been with you, so your mind has a place to travel when you're in the middle of a crisis. Here are a few questions to guide you. 1. How has God been with you this week? Name specific times that you have felt his presence or experienced his goodness. 2. When has he felt distant? Like you're on your own.

And three, how can the reality, the truth of his presence, help you in a situation you are currently experiencing. When the disciples recognized Jesus, they went from feeling stressed and frustrated to calm. If you want to experience more calm in your life, don't look for more control. Look for more opportunities to be with Jesus and experience his presence.