Have you ever wanted to make a choice immediately but know you need to seek the Holy Spirit for actual direction? I encounter the in-between plenty of times when seeking direction for a decision. The last blog post was about the middle, and I find myself here again. Maybe you’re still in the middle, too? The good news is that Jesus is in the midst of my middle. And He’s in the midst of your middle, too. The center is the best place to be.
No matter how long the in-between time may be, we can find the stillness of His peace as we settle in to embrace the whole process. In the very middle of my waiting, when it’s quiet, I know that the silence is not God not answering. Instead, it’s Him answering in His assured stillness. It is the stillness where we can begin to hear His voice. I know Jesus is in my midst in the middle of the calm.
Jesus is the center. He is our foundation. As Paul reminds us, Jesus is the chief cornerstone, “And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22). If God lives within us, then we know Jesus is the center of it all. He is right there in the middle of our every decision and concern. Knowing that the Spirit dwells within me, I can trust that He will show me the way.
Where the Spirit dwells, Jesus is there. He gathers with us when we come together and sits with us even when it’s just by ourselves in the secret place.
For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst.
Matthew 18:20
I’ve read and heard this verse shared countless times. But something shifted in my heart as I covered my request with these words spoken by Jesus. I knew He wanted to talk to me right there in my in-between moment. Jesus says, “I am in their midst.” In Greek, the word midst means “to be in the middle.”
Be in the middle with Jesus.
Jesus gently reminded me that while the circles I gather in typically are not a crowd, He is right there in the middle. He is in our midst. If your community looks like talking over coffee with one friend, where two or three gather, here comes Jesus in your midst. He reminded me that He was right there in the middle of my decision. I picture Him grabbing my hands and walking with me, reassuring me that I’m going the right way.
Jesus is in the middle of your conversations. He is in the middle of your decisions. He is with you in the in-between moments of seeking direction and waiting for the right way to go.
Whether we’re gathering together or spending time in the secret place alone with God, you are in the middle of Jesus.
Sometimes, I can get caught up in rushing to make a decision or looking at what others are doing when Jesus says, “Follow me.” I can’t help but think of Peter, who glanced and saw John and asked Jesus, “What about him?” Jesus wanted Peter to focus on following Him, nothing and no one else.
In the in-between, we can encounter stillness and peace by putting all of our focus on Jesus and what Jesus is speaking to us. Stay in the middle with Jesus. Let Jesus be the center of every decision and every step. And during the in-between time, be still and embrace the peace that dwells there. Yes, even in the in-between.