904 Stuck In the Middle

You’re somewhere in the middle of where you were and where you’re going. You’re in between what was and what will be. This space can be filled with dread. It can tiresome and exhausting. It can begin to feel hopeless as you’re not where you want to be yet, but you’ve left behind the comfort of what used to be. These middle grounds are the place where hopes, dreams and goals die. Potential shrivels up and releases its hold as settling in this disappointing space in between becomes your reality. My guess is, when you sat out on this journey, you assumed it would be a little easier. You assumed the way would be a little clearer. You assumed it would all happen a little faster. But it hasn’t. At least for me it hasn’t. And I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. I look around at a whole lot of people who took a flying leap towards something better, and now they’re just falling. But my sister, take heart and gather up the pieces of your broken dreams, this is where God is! Here in the middle. He’s here! The Israelites became real familiar this exhausting, dreadful position in the middle. They left captivity in Egypt and sat out for the 11 day journey to their Promised Land of Canaan. They knew the journey would be hard. They knew the days would be long. They knew the struggle would be real. Immediately on their journey they encountered the impossible. The Egyptian army chasing them, and the Red Sea where they would surely drown before them. But of course we know God showed up in the impossible with a miracle. The sea stood on its ends while they passed through on dry ground, then swallowed up their enemies. Imagine how they must have felt seeing God working in such powerful ways on their behalf. I bet they did a little celebration dance like “free, free, free at last … we’re gonna dance our way to the Promised Land now! God is surely with us!” Looking back when you started out, maybe you too saw God working in big ways. Oh yes, remember how clear he made this move for you? Remember how certain you were? Remember how you could see his fingerprints on every detail, giving you confidence in your journey? You dared to believe this was actually going to be an easy transition. Your first steps were so blessed, surely every step after that were going to be equally blessed. Uhhmmmm but wait … it hasn’t been? Do you feel like it’s been a while since you saw God working to save you? Since you saw his mighty hand at work? Since you were certain he was making a way? Do you feel like you’ve been wandering around in circles now and going back to where you were before sounds pretty darn good right about now. That’s exactly how the Israelites felt. Their celebration dance quickly turned into wandering in the desert. Wandering and wondering. Wondering, God where are you now? Why aren’t you guiding us? We’re out here with nothing. They even began to complain saying they should have stayed as slaves in Egypt, it was better than starving in freedom. They wandered and wondered, circled and complained, soon the 11 day journey turned to a month. A month turned to a year. A year of getting nowhere. A year of being stuck in the middle, not where they once were, but certainly not where they wanted to be. They became angry and bitter at God and each other. They complained about everything, until God had heard enough. Numbers 14: 20-23 The Lord said “I have forgiven them … Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times— not one of them will ever see the land I promised. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.” And so it was for 40 years.