THE NOW AND THE NOT YET

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.”

– John 14:1

Two Worlds

We live between two worlds—the now and the not yet, the brokenness and the healing; the journey and the destination.

I usually tune in the daily White House briefing to glean the latest on COVID-19.  The story changes every day.  It’s as if they keep moving the goal posts or revising the rules of the ball game.  I ask myself, “What’s next?”  More deaths, more pain, and suffering?  That’s not good. The economy is taking a big hit. We’ve all felt it. Some of you may be out of work. Some of us wonder if we will get sick; will we get the care we need? Scary thought. Some of us are still looking for toilet paper. That’s not funny.

The Reflection

We’re looking in the mirror of our own inadequacies, our inability as individuals and as a nation to get a grip on things.  We’re fighting an unseen, but deadly enemy. We don’t know what the future holds; well, not the immediate future.

If you’re like me, you sense your own brokenness. Maybe you’re experiencing frustration by not knowing? Maybe your facing frustration because you feel powerless?  We want to get on with things, on with work, on with shopping, and on with our lives.  But no. We have to delay the journey.  It’s like we’re stranded at the bus station and there’s no one around. We’re “sheltering-in-place.”

Hope in Waiting

Does God have anything to say about this? He does.  He knows our pain and frustration.  When Jesus told His disciples that He’d be moving on, they wondered what that meant? They couldn’t grasp His death or departure. They were stuck in the “in-between.” Recall the disciples on

the road to Emmaus in Luke 24. They were bewildered as they journeyed to their destination;  forlorn and confused. You might feel like that too, given what’s going. But Jesus comes alongside us and explains things. We’re never alone. There’s hope. “He’s near to the brokenhearted…” (Psalm 34:18).  He comforts those who mourn.  And, there’s a new day coming. One day we’ll arrive at the station. Like

Paul put it: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face…” (I Corinthians 13:12a).  Or as he says in Romans 8, we, “groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” (v. 23).  Waiting is hard.  God often tells us to “wait on the Lord;” for those who do so shall find renewed strength (Isaiah 40:31). God is here in our brokenness or bewilderment.  He gives us comfort in our pain ( 2 Corinthians 1: 4) and, He will be there at the end of the journey.

Trust in His Promises

So don’t lose heart.  Trust God for “the now” as you trust Him for the future.  His promises are sure.  His mercies are real, and his faithfulness is great.  No need to be troubled.  As Paul wrote: “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen…” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).