D.L. Moody reflects on the experience of the disciples being constrained by Jesus to embark on a ship, emphasizing that even when following divine direction, one may encounter unexpected storms and challenges. He shares his personal struggles with feeling compelled to act, only to face failure and turmoil instead of the anticipated calm. Moody reassures that such experiences are not a sign of divine delusion but rather a part of God's greater purpose, teaching us that true rest can be found even amidst life's storms.

Jesus constrained His disciples to get into a ship. —Matthew 14:22 Jesus constrained them to go! One would think that if ever there was the certain promise of success in a mission, it was here. Surely, here, if anywhere, a triumphant issue might have been confidently predicted; and yet here, more than anywhere, there was seeming failure. He sent them out on a voyage, and they met such a storm as they had never yet experienced. Let me ponder this, for it has been so with me, too. I have sometimes felt myself impelled to act by an influence which seemed above me—constrained to put to sea. The belief that I was constrained gave me confidence, and I was sure of a calm voyage. But the result was outward failure. The calm became a storm; the sea raged, the winds roared, the ship tossed in the midst of the waves, and my enterprise was wrecked ere it could reach the land. Was, then, my divine command a delusion? Nay; nor yet was my mission a failure. He did send me on that voyage, but He did not send me for my purpose. He had one end and I had another. My end was the outward calm; His was my meeting with the storm. My end was to gain the harbor of a material rest; His was to teach me there is a rest even on the open sea. —George Matheson