Focus: In The Middle Of Nowhere (Pt.1)

Text: Mt.14:24

"But the ship was now IN THE MIDST of the sea, tossed with waves: FOR THE WIND WAS CONTRARY."

Life is a journey; I say it all the time because it is true. In this life's voyage that begins at birth and ends at death, we are often faced with contrary realities. We encounter hostile winds - strong winds that are not going in our direction. It is neither a journey by flight nor by road, but it is a voyage. We sail by sea.

It is also a journey that sees us moving from one place to another; from the point of a dream to the point of achievement. It is the journey of purpose and destiny; a journey in which we are headed towards a chosen destination.

In their book entitled, Taking Charge: the dynamics of personal decision-making & self-management, Gordon N. McMinn and Larry Libby said, "Life is a thing of movement; stop the movement and you stop the life. You never get out of the current; there is no such option. Yet, there is another option. Choice is that which makes us human - created in the image of God with attributes of intelligence, emotion and will. I may choose to simply allow the river to carry me along as it would, bouncing me from rock to rock, pulling inexorably downstream, or I may take charge. I may choose to resist the ceaseless, mindless, downward motion - to fight the current; to swim upstream."

The point is that the tides are not always going in our direction. We find ourselves from time to time swimming against the tide. We are often faced with the choice to either withdraw or to advance. The disciples of Christ can testify to this reality of life's challenges and options.

On one occasion, the Lord Jesus Christ persuaded His disciples to get into the ship and sail to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. But right in the middle of the sea a contrary wind hit them like a thunderbolt. They looked back and saw that they had gone far, and they looked ahead and saw that they still had a long way to go. They found themselves in the middle of nowhere - right at the crossroads. Matthew says they were in the midst of the sea. Should they go back or continue the struggle? Remember that they were under orders to get to the other side!

They suffered great antagonism from the wind. It was a conflict of collision. The disciples and the tides were going in the opposite directions. Matthew says that they were "tossed with the waves," and the reason being that "the wind was contrary." The wind was headstrong, and they suffered for it. Mark reports that they were "toiling in rowing." They exerted every ounce of energy to no avail. They got stuck in the middle of nowhere. All their efforts lacked the desired effects. They simply made no progress.

On his way to Rome Paul had a similar experience. Luke reports, "And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary" (Act.27:4). Truly, contrary winds are part of our experience in this life's journey. They can come any day, at anytime, and anywhere, even unannounced and uninvited. Paul was sailing to Rome by divine order, but the wind slowed the ship down and made them travel with great difficulty. At a point, they despaired of life and were bereft of hope, thinking that they were never going to survive the storm.

In the case of the disciples of Christ, they were sailing from where a miracle just happened to where more miracles were going to happen, but in between the two places they were faced with a tidal wave that was life-threatening.

In that instance, we read, "And HE SAW THEM toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them…" (Mk.6:48). In Paul's case, we read of Paul telling everyone on board to be of "good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul, thou MUST be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee." The Lord manifested Himself to Paul, solidifying his convictions and boosting his confidence. For the disciples, Jesus sighted them from the top of a mountain and instantly made His way towards them. The Lord Jesus Christ stepped into the situation, calmed the storm, saved their lives, and helped them to make it to the other side. They survived the storm and succeeded in their journey.

In the middle of nowhere do not lose hope. Know whose you are and whom you serve. Wherever you find yourself in life's journey, just know that Christ will always look out for you. His watchful and loving eyes are always on you. He will ensure that you land safely on the other side. In that middle of nowhere He will meet you there.

We'll continue tomorrow.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter