And He saw that the disciples were being battered as they rowed, because the wind was blowing against them. In the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the lake, and He intended to pass by them.
This verse contains great comfort. Christ saw them. Though they were on the lake, in the darkness of night, and the wind was against them, the Lord’s eye was upon them. When a believer struggles against contrary winds, his first comfort is that the Lord sees him. The disciples were distressed as they rowed, that is, they were laboring, but progress was difficult. Many times the God-pleasing path is also full of contrary winds. But at that very moment of struggle Christ comes to them, walking on the lake. What for them was an impassable and terrifying element was under His feet. The phrase “He intended to pass by them” should be understood in this way: that He appears in His greatness and holy presence, as sometimes God passes before His servants in order to reveal His glory. He does not disregard them, but comes in such a way that they would recognize His sovereignty precisely in the very thing they feared.