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Dec 22, 2024 06:00am

The Middle of Your Mess

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There will come a time in your life when all control has been lost. When you are utterly powerless to change a situation, to influence a heart, or to have the final say. There will come a time when what you imagined would happen, doesn’t. There will come a time when you are left holding a bag you never wanted and watching a scene unfold you could never have predicted. There will come a time when there is no answer to your “but why?” and when “you just can’t believe it”— whatever “it” is.

In that season, you’re going to need a middle man. You are going to need someone to intervene. Someone to step in and to step up and to perform a miracle on your behalf because you quite literally have run out of options. There is nothing left you can do. Solutions seem completely unreachable and your heart is undone.

In that season you are going to need a God. You are going to need power that isn’t yours, peace that doesn’t make sense, willpower you failed to make habit, and wisdom beyond your expertise. Feelings of hopelessness and desperation will come in waves so strong, you will look up, because the hope of seeing the salvation of the LORD is all you’ll have.

In that season, the LORD, Jehovah, the self-existent God of promise will meet you there. He will already know your burden. He will already feel your pain. He will already be angry with the wicked. He will be attracted to your brokenness and He will clearly see all sides of your story. More importantly, He will already know the plan for your future and He will willingly wait for you.

The scripture says in 2 Chronicles 16:9, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward Him.”

Other versions say, “to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” and “to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”

Could you use some strong support from the God of the universe?

Then the question to ask is not “why?” or “how did I get here?” or “God, can you fix this?” The question is, how’s your heart? Is your heart loyal and committed and blameless toward the LORD?”

It matters, because in that season, only the one true God can help. Sure, people have tried to help, but even the best people can’t control what’s beyond their control.

And neither can you.

Believer, our help comes from the LORD.

Do you recall the famous Exodus in the Bible when God delivered his people from the harsh slavery of the Egyptians? After all kinds of plagues and calamity, God’s people were finally making their way out of Egypt only to discover they were being chased down by an evil army…an enemy composed of a multitude they couldn’t shake and they couldn’t control. Don’t skip to the dry ground rescue and miss an incredible scene in the narrative!

Exodus 14:19-20 says, “The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night.”

The people of Israel were in a completely desperate situation. There was literally nowhere to go and nightfall was coming. They had no control over what would happen next. But as they cried out to the LORD (vs. 10), something shifted. Notice what God did in the text above?

He moved.

The people camped. The people were silent and still.

God moved.

God intervened. God got between them and their enemy. God put Himself in the literal center of their problem and stood in the way of what would otherwise have destroyed them.

I’m going to repeat that…God put Himself in the center of their problem and stood in the way of what would otherwise have destroyed them.

Are you in a season that feels so dark and so heavy it may destroy you?

Cry out to the LORD and ask Him to get in the middle of it. Ask Him to be the middle man. Ask Him to sort it out. While you’re waiting, ask Him to stand in the inbetween on your behalf and to protect you from evil and guard you on every side. Ask Him to make a way when and where there seems to be no way.

He is a waymaker. He is a deliverer. He is powerful. He is faithful. He is trustworthy and He always comes through on what He has promised and He promised to never leave you or forsake you.

He is the same God today that He was back then.

So, you can call on His name and watch Him do what only He can. You can ask Him for His eyes to stop looking and to land on you; you whose heart is blameless toward Him. You whose heart is seeking and loyal and committed to who He is and what He says.

You can ask Him to move.

You don’t have another option anyway.

In that season, when nothing else makes sense, do the one thing you can; make sure the LORD is in the middle of your mess.