The already and the not yet

It has been difficult for me to sit down and write anything in the last few weeks. Things have been so busy in our household that there has not been much time for thinking and writing, but there are things in my heart and mind that I need to get down. Hopefully something here will be of benefit to you as well.

As a follower of Jesus, I believe that we live in a time between times, in a very real sense. George Eldon Ladd summed it up well in his book The Gospel of the Kingdom; he said that we live in the already and the not yet. When Jesus came to earth, he announced "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" By that we believe he was telling the world that God's rule and reign had come to touch earth once again. In what is commonly known as the Lord's Prayer, he taught his disciples to pray, "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." He wanted them to know that they could ask for some of their inheritance, the benefits of Heaven, while they were still on earth. It is on that basis and on the basis of what Jesus did on the cross that we go boldly before God to ask for healing when someone is facing illness or difficulty. We ask, God, bring a little bit of your Kingdom to this place in this time. There is no sickness, no lack in heaven; God, bring some of the wholeness of Heaven to earth now; you said we could ask for that, and we are asking for it right now, in this situation.

That is all very well and good in theory, but what happens in practice? Does God always answer our prayers the way we want?

The obvious answer is no. That is where the already and the not yet comes in to play. Not everyone we pray for is healed; not everything we ask for in faith happens. The Kingdom of Heaven has come (already), but it is not fully realized on the earth (not yet). We need to remember, too, that we interact with a living God, not a machine that responds automatically the way we want. No, you can't put your quarter in, pull the handle, and get healing any time you want; God does not work that way. He looks at things from a broader perspective, not just the immediate crisis that we find ourselves facing. That does not mean we stop praying, however. When we pray, we can touch the heart of God and come to know him more. Instead of approaching God with our wish list, we have the opportunity when something is weighing on us to go and talk with God. God, I'm struggling with this situation right now; help me see things from your perspective. Father, what is on your heart for this person I love who is hurting so much? How can I bring some of your Kingdom to her life today? How do you want me to pray for this person? We know that God always hears and always cares, and we can rest in that fact.

It is hard when you are in the midst of fighting for the life of someone you love to stop and take time out to really talk with God about the situation. It's easy to say but very hard to do. We are in that place right now with a parent who is fighting cancer. At the moment things look pretty grim; the cancer is winning the battle, and there are difficult decisions to be made about care and about the future. If we rely upon our own resources, our own wisdom, we are quickly spent and defeated. Cancer is such a big battle; we have lost far too many friends and family to this beast. Yet when we take a few moments to step back, breathe, and connect with God once again, we recognize that no sickness, no situation, is bigger than God, and if we will allow him to come in, he can change us and give us what we need to keep going.

We will never stop praying for healing, at least not until such time as God says "no" (and we have never heard him say that). Whether he brings healing on this earth or not, however, we still hold firmly to him and believe that in whatever he does, he does all things well. God is good—all the time—regardless of our circumstances.

August 21, 2008