“For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20

The Lord Is There

When I was a teenager and my family moved to a new county where I knew no one, I craved a friend. I was shy when surrounded by uncertainty, so I didn’t reach out to anyone, and the kids in the new school returned the favor. That’s about when I began to know the Lord, and He did eventually prove to be my best Friend, but at that time I wasn’t close to Him.

Jesus wants us to know that when two or three of us are gathered together in His Name, He is in our midst. At first I thought this meant He was nearby, hanging around, sitting around our circle. But the word “midst” really means in the middle, the center. 

Is Jesus the CENTER of our fellowship when we are together with other believers? 

Mary went to visit her six-months pregnant relative, Elizabeth, while Mary was carrying the preborn Jesus in her womb. As soon as Mary spoke, Elizabeth’s baby (later to become John the Baptist) leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She said to Mary, “As soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy” (Luke 1:44). Wow—Mary, Elizabeth, and preborn John were gathered together, and Jesus was in the midst of them. They had gathered in His Name, by coming together to celebrate Mary’s virgin conception of the Son of God. 

A few days after pondering the concept of Christ being in our midst, I came across John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and DWELT AMONG US…” I marveled that God chose to dwell “among” us. He placed Jesus right down here with us. 

As if to further solidify the concept, I then remembered that God “tabernacled” among the Israelites in the wilderness. He plunked Himself right down among His people. But let’s not miss this: He was in the CENTER of the camp, and instructed the tribes exactly where to pitch their tents around Him. He was in the middle—in the midst.

Yahweh-Shammah—“The LORD Is There”—is one of the names of God. Matthew 28:20 is a further promise of Jesus: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

When we gather with other believers, He takes center stage. Let’s remember this as we talk, pray, and worship together. 

He is there.

“Jesus, take Your rightful place in the center of our gatherings, just as Your Father did. May our conversation and hearts please You as we gather. In Your Name we pray, Amen.”