Faith for the Middle 

‘A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
Mark 4:37-38

 
Setting off on a journey can be an exciting and enthusiastic time. The bags are packed, the car is cleaned, the tank is full. Google maps is calculating the best routes, Spotify is churning out your favourite tunes, even the kids in their excitement are keen to cooperate! It begins! A new journey, with a new destination up ahead.
 
Perhaps this is how the disciples felt, when they started on their journey to follow Jesus. Full of enthusiasm and energy. I wonder though - were they still as excited in the middle, as they were at the beginning of their journey?
 
God often calls us to launch out to new destinations. However, He doesn’t always let us know what will happen on the way to it. He calls us to leave the safety of where we are, the comfort and security of what we know, and start out for the blessings on the other side. But it’s often in the middle of these journeys that we encounter the storm. The middle is often a place of testing.
 
This is exactly where the disciples found themselves one evening. In a boat, with the safety of the shore behind them, their destination not yet in sight, stuck in the middle of the lake, surrounded by the raging storm. And Jesus? Where was He? Asleep! Does that sound familiar?
 
Have you ever had those moments when you feel like you’re lost in the middle and sinking fast? You know you heard from God at the start. You are confident that the journey you set out on was the right path, but now you seem to be lost. You’ve tried to sense His presence, but feel nothing. You’ve searched for answers and understanding but the silence is deafening. Through all your pleading and praying, it feels as though Jesus is just asleep.
 
The storm the disciples were facing was no April shower. It was a storm of supernatural magnitude. A storm of hurricane proportions. The waves were beating the boat and filling it up fast, and while they were sinking - Jesus was sleeping! 

They roused him, saying, “Teacher, is it nothing to you that we’re going down?” Awake now, he told the wind to pipe down and said to the sea, “Quiet! Settle down!” The wind ran out of breath; the sea became smooth as glass. Jesus reprimanded the disciples: “Why are you such cowards? Don’t you have any faith at all?” (Mark 4:39-40 MSG)

 ‘The wind ran out of breath’. If we can hold onto Jesus when the storms come. If we can keep our eyes fixed on Him. If we can only keep our feet firmly planted on the Rock. Jesus will speak. And you can rest assured that the moment He does, the wind will simply run out of breath.
 
Storms and hardships are inevitable along the way, but they are simply no match for the power and authority of Jesus.
 
So, when the middle comes and our faith is put to the test. Can we find that same faith that we set out with at the start, to carry us through the middle? We talk about faith, we sing songs about it, we read books about it - but when it really counts - we simply must use it.
 
Let’s Pray;
Father, thank you that no matter how it may feel, we know that You are always there. You are ever present, You neither slumber nor sleep, and Your eye is ever watching over us. Help us in times of testing and strengthen our faith for the middle. For Your name's sake. Amen