Meat in the Middle

You’ve left the shore and you’re in a boat rowing across a lake to get to the other side – to cross over. You’re mid-way there – in the middle of the lake – when suddenly, without notice, a storm breaks. The wind’s whipping up with unbridled ferocity, and it’s causing the water to heave. Rowing has become pointless – the oars break under the pressure. What do you do?

The noise of the now swirling wind and crashing waves is tremendous. You call out to Jesus but you cannot even hear your own voice over the torrent that has now engulfed you. Is Jesus hearing your call? It was Jesus who told you to cross over to the other side. It was Jesus who told you that He would meet you in Bethsaida (Mark 6:45). You know His voice, you’ve heard Him many times before. Could you be wrong this time? Your every fiber tells you that you’re not wrong; so what’s really happening then?

You were going through the middle to get to the other side and everything seemed fine. You were already half way there when this storm comes out of nowhere. It’s in the middle of the journey when the storms come. These storms are not without purpose. Early on, in the beginning, safely on shore, you were at the toddler stage of your spiritual growth, but now the time has come for you to cross over to the other side. On shore, you heard the Word and became familiar with the basics of the Word of God – this is milk. But you can’t stay at this stage if you’re to grow; no-one remains a toddler forever. The time to be fed solid food must come. Solid food or meat speaks of deep teaching, you’ve done the hearing now it’s time to do the Word of God – it’s meat in the middle. Meat builds you up and strengthens you. The meat that you’re fed in the middle strengthens your character and builds your endurance in preparation for the next half of the journey. 

In the middle, you may feel as if Jesus is ignoring your call but remember Jesus will never leave you. If you look carefully, you’ll catch a glimpse of Him through the haze, through the fog, just look beyond the raindrops – He is there waiting for you to come through. And as you regain your focus, even in the midst of the storm, you will see Him. You are not alone. Do not give in to your fear of this storm you’ve never seen before. Push through it, do not give up and do not give in to your fear. Meditate on Jesus’ own words – “Do not be afraid! I Am!”

Yes, Jesus always “is”, so don’t be afraid. Jesus is always with you; even in the worst storm, He is. Jesus will meet you on the other side. He may even meet you along the way for short periods to feed you the meat in the middle. Eat the meat. Sometimes the chewing is tedious and the meat hard to swallow but keep on eating. Oftentimes we try to pound the meat in our own efforts to make it tender but to no avail. No amount of seasoning can make this meat palatable but do not spit it out – keep on eating the meat in the middle. 

Before you know it, the storm would have passed, storms never last, and you’d be on the other side having safely crossed over.

Amen †

Meat in the Middle Shelley Johnson 03-Feb-2016