How Can I Have Courage When Life Gets Tough

The small dog next to the big dog gives a funny picture of confidence that comes from who is standing nearby. The kids in Narnia can face enemies because Aslan is with them, and Mark 6 gives a better and truer picture of that in Jesus. Jesus gives courage in hard circumstances, not because his people are so great, but because Jesus is enough.

The cultural mantra says, “I am enough,” but Scripture says something better: Jesus is enough. That truth takes the weight off human shoulders. The point is not that a person can carry everything, fix everything, and get through everything alone. The point is that Jesus can carry what human strength cannot.

Mark 6 begins with Jesus sending the disciples into the boat and then going up the mountain to pray. Jesus, the Son of God, makes prayer a priority, and that exposes the foolishness of trying to live by raw human strength. Zechariah says, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” and Jesus models that dependent life. The three year old who thinks he is super strong is cute at three, but that same self-reliance gets a lot less cute in adults.

The disciples strain at the oars with the wind against them, and Jesus comes to them walking on the sea. Mark’s language says Jesus “intended to pass them by,” and that points back to Exodus, where God passes by Moses to show his glory. Jesus is not just doing something impressive on the water. Jesus is showing that he is God.

Jesus says, “Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid.” The words “It is I” carry the weight of “I am,” the name God gives Moses in Exodus. Jesus does not dismiss their fear like it is silly. Jesus meets their fear with his presence. The command is not, “Pretend nothing is scary.” The command is, “Do not be afraid because I am is here.”

The disciples are astonished because they had not learned from the loaves. The same Jesus who fed the crowds could handle the wind, the sea, and the night. Their forgetfulness is familiar, because Scripture keeps showing God’s people seeing provision and then acting like God has never provided before. Jesus calls his people to trust, to obey, and to surrender real areas of life, not with passivity, but with faithful effort that ultimately relies on him.

The risen Jesus sends his disciples on mission with all authority and promises, “I am with you always.” Hebrews says Jesus made everything and sustains everything by his powerful word. The child’s song is true: he has the whole world in his hands. Communion then gives a physical reminder that Jesus loved sinners enough to die, forgive, bring them into relationship with God, and keep them with him forever.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Jesus is enough, not self The claim “I am enough” sounds encouraging, but it quietly puts the whole weight of life back on human shoulders. Jesus offers something stronger and kinder: human weakness does not have to pretend to be strength. Courage grows when the burden shifts from self-confidence to the sufficiency of Christ. [15:43]
• 2. Prayer admits real dependence Jesus goes to the mountain to pray, and that simple sentence exposes how dangerous self-reliance can become. If the Son of God made space for prayer, then prayer is not a religious extra for people with free time. Prayer is the honest confession that life is “not by might nor by power,” but by the Spirit of the Lord. [18:31]
• 3. The I Am comes near Jesus does not merely walk on water to impress frightened disciples. Mark’s language reaches back to Exodus, where God reveals his glory and his name. “Take courage. It is I” means the living God has come near in the middle of the wind, the dark, and the fear. [23:18]
• 4. Forgetfulness hardens fearful hearts The disciples had seen Jesus multiply bread, but the storm made them act like his power had disappeared. Spiritual forgetfulness is not a small thing, because it trains the heart to panic in places where God has already proved faithful. Remembering is an act of trust that brings yesterday’s provision into today’s fear. [29:36]
• 5. Mission courage rests on presence Jesus sends his disciples to make disciples with all authority in heaven and on earth. That mission can cost comfort, reputation, and even life, so courage cannot come from personality or optimism. The promise that holds the mission together is simple and strong: “I am with you always.”
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [13:57] - Confidence From Who Is With You
• [15:12] - The Lie That Says I Am Enough
• [17:59] - Jesus Makes Prayer A Priority
• [20:03] - Straining At The Oars
• [20:35] - Jesus Passes By In Glory
• [23:18] - Take Courage, I Am Is Here
• [27:32] - Forgotten Loaves And Hardened Hearts
• [30:34] - Trusting God Without Quitting Effort
• [31:42] - Courage For Faith, Relationships, And Health
• [33:24] - The Great Commission Needs Courage
• [35:38] - Jesus Holds The Whole World
• [37:04] - Communion And The Good News

Bible Reading

Mark 6:45-56
“Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.’ And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.” [17:59]

Observation questions

1. What does Jesus do before the storm scene begins, and what are the disciples doing out on the sea when Jesus comes to them? [18:06]
2. What details in this passage show that the disciples are truly afraid rather than only confused or surprised? [23:03]
3. What happens when Jesus speaks to the disciples and then gets into the boat with them? [27:32]
4. At the end of the passage, how do the people in Gennesaret respond when they recognize Jesus, and what keeps happening wherever he goes?

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus says, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” Why does his presence matter more than a quick explanation of the storm? [23:18]
2. Mark says Jesus “meant to pass by them.” How does that detail help show that this moment is about more than a miracle over nature? [20:35]
3. Mark says the disciples “did not understand about the loaves.” What does the feeding miracle have to do with their fear in the boat? [29:36]
4. Jesus goes up on the mountain to pray before this hard moment unfolds. What does that suggest about strength, dependence, and the danger of trying to live only by personal effort? [18:31]

Application questions

1. Where is the pressure of “I am enough” showing up most strongly right now—in work, parenting, health, finances, or something else? What might it look like to replace that pressure with the truth that Jesus is enough? [15:43]
2. Jesus made prayer a real priority, not an extra. What part of life right now most needs prayerful dependence instead of hurried self-reliance? [20:03]
3. The disciples strained at the oars with the wind against them. Where does life feel like that right now? In that place, what would it look like to keep rowing faithfully while actually relying on Jesus? [30:56]
4. Fear is not treated as silly here; Jesus meets fear with his presence. What fear has been loud lately, and how would it change things to hear, “I am is here. Do not be afraid,” in that specific situation? [25:37]
5. Forgetfulness can make the heart panic even after God has already provided. What past faithfulness of God needs to be remembered again this week? [29:53]
6. Jesus sends his people on mission with all authority and promises, “I am with you always.” Where might courage be needed to speak about Jesus, serve someone, or take a faithful next step spiritually? [34:43]
7. Jesus has the whole world in his hands, including personal burdens and unanswered questions. What is one burden that has been carried alone that needs to be placed in his hands more honestly? [36:33]