Living in the Not Yet

Posted on January 4, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre 2 Comments

There are many places in Scripture where the phrase “how long, oh Lord” is expressed. This phrase exhibits a longing for change and protection.

As I listen to news of the day I connect with this sentiment. There is much in our world that appears out of control and evil seems to win the day too often. My thoughts echo the words in Habakkuk 1:3-4, where he asks God,

“Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.”

Reading further, I am reminded that God remains in control and I can leave it in His hands. I long for the day when Jesus reigns and this mess will be cleaned up. Yet, somehow, I must learn to be content living in the not-yet.

I am learning (slowly) to hear God’s prompting as to what I am to be about and be content to let the rest go. I’m also learning to bring the stuff I cannot change to God in prayer knowing that he cares about it and will bring his plan into reality.

The core question is “do I trust that God loves me and is concerned about me?” If the answer is yes, then I will stand on that and rest.

About Mark McIntyre

A follower of Jesus Christ who shares observations about how Scripture should impact the church and the world. Mark is the original author and editor of Attempts at Honesty.

What you build and how you build it matters to God

With 60% of young people walking away from the church, we must evaluate the foundation on which we build and how well we build upon it. The eternal destiny of the next generation is at stake and we cannot afford to continue with such a high failure rate. We must do better.

What Authentic Christian Community Looks Like

Years ago, when I first started attending church, I thought I had to “look good and be good”. I believed that I needed to appear as if I had my act together and never messed up… and if I did, no one need ever find out about it. The good news is that I was dead wrong.

Paths of Righteousness for His Name’s Sake

In Psalm 23:3, King David writes, “he leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” While there is benefit to me in walking a path of righteousness, my benefit is not the primary purpose of God’s leading me. David points to God’s reputation and God’s purpose as the reason for the leading. […]

The sufficiency of natural revelation

The title of this post is a shameless play on words. It is not uncommon in theological circles to speak of the in-sufficiency of Scripture, but I dropped the “in” to make a point. Scripture is sufficient to make known God as creator. Some would argue that nature points to the possibility that God might […]

Social justice and the church

I find that writing is the best way for me to work toward clarification on an issue. So in this post I will share some thoughts, admittedly incomplete thoughts, on the relationship of the church to the need for social justice in our society. The Bible has a lot to say about social justice. Even […]

Living in the Not Yet

Categories

Archives