One Word

 Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land.  Mark 6:47......"In the middle of impossible situations, we will experience God......The difference between the possible and impossible is one word from our Master." Henry Blackaby

The middle is a very difficult place to be in any journey, endeavor, or ministry. It's in the middle that fatigue will set in, with its ever present companion, discouragement. In the middle we forget the zeal that we embarked upon. In the middle, doubt, fear, and loneliness can be our only companion. In the middle, we can begin to forget His promises to us, or at the least, they seem very far away. So does He. We rarely think the middle is a distinct part of His will for us. It's part of the course He's set us upon.

In Mark 6, Jesus had directed the disciples to get into the boat and go to the other side of the lake. He didn't go with them. To their credit, they obeyed Him, though they had to have wondered at His purpose. What would they do on the other side of the lake? How would Jesus get there to meet them? Would He meet them? He never provided any information about any of that. He simply said "get in the boat and go to the other side of the lake." When they got to the middle of the lake, it was in the deep darkness of the night, and a fierce storm blew up. The disciples, fishermen for the most part and acquainted with the dangers of the sea, knew they were in trouble. They rowed with all their strength because their lives depended upon it. They were exhausted. Were they going to perish, here in the middle? Where was Jesus? Why had He sent them out to die? Why were they even here?

What the disciples didn't know was that their situation was being observed by Christ at all times. He saw the wind and waves hammering the boat. He saw the panic in their actions. In the darkest hour of the night, He began to come to them, walking on top of the waves they were sure would destroy them. As He approached them, they didn't recognize Him. Panic and fear will always blind us to His presence. Scripture says that "He made as if to walk by," and as He did, their eyes were opened to who He was. He immediately calmed the storm, disposed of the danger, got into the boat, and the disciples completed the journey. They got to the other side of the lake.

In the middle of the lake, the disciples not only forgot all the things mentioned above, as well as giving in to all the temptations to fear and give up. In the middle of the lake they forgot what He had told them in the first place. He'd told them to go over to the other side. That was His will for them, and His will for them could not be stopped by a storm, no matter how fierce. His will could only be nullified by their refusal to believe and to persevere. Christ meant for them to get to the other side. He expected them to believe that they would, that whatever they might encounter on the way could not deter from His purpose. He expected that they would remember that He knew where they were, what the dangers might be, and what they would need in order to get to that other side. In the middle, they forgot it all. We tend to as well. In the middle we may flounder, but if we hold on, we will encounter Him. The disciples held on. They encountered the God of the impossible. The God of the fiercest storms. With a word, Jesus calmed the storm, showing the truth of Blackaby's statement. The difference between what is possible and what is impossible is one word from Jesus. 

We all come to those middle places. Maybe you're there now. Press on. Remember the One who called you to the journey. The One who promised to see you through to the other side. The storms, challenges, mountains, and giants to be encountered cannot stop you from reaching the place He wills you to get to. The "waves" of the world, empowered by the enemy, may rise up against you. Remember that He walks on top of all of them. With one word, He calms them, and with one word, He gets you to the other side. For you, and for me, He always has His one word. He will allow us to get to the middle, but if we will trust Him, we'll find that He'll never leave us there. He'll get us to the other side.

Blessings,
Pastor O