Certainly the destination is important. What good is it to be on a nice road that leads you where you don’t want to go? The destination of our Christian lives is a glorious eternity in the presence of the God who is love. Our promised future is one void of sorrow and pain. Heaven will come to earth. Lions and cattle will graze together; lambs and wolves will nap with each other; deserts will blossom, and living water will refresh all of creation. 

As important as the destination is, it is not the entire point. Far too many North American Christians assume that the gospel is only about the destination. In their minds, the only thing that is important is to persuade others to give their lives to Christ so they can escape both this world and an eternal hell and go to heaven when they die. Nothing else matters. Social justice, police reform, economic equality, the alleviation of poverty, educational accessibility, feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, housing the homeless, universal healthcare, environmental protection, global warming, ending racism and oppression – these things are of secondary importance.

Yet, they are not of secondary importance to God. The gospel certainly includes the forgiveness of sin and new birth into the eternal family of God. Praise God. But it also, and equally, includes the renewal of all things – the redemption, not only of individual hearts, but also of both the societal structures that perpetuate racism, violence, and oppression, and of creation care. God is making all things new. My heart is included in “all things,” but it is not all there is to “all things.” It’s not all about me. Nor is it only about humans. Jesus died to destroy allthe works of the devil. God invites us to join him as he makes allthings new here and now.

So, the kingdom of God is not only in the future. It is also here now. Salvation is past, present, and future. God was in the past. God holds the future. God is here right now. God wants us to spend eternity with him. God wants us to enjoy his presence right now.

So much of my prayer is focused on the future. I find it hard to sit and wait in the now. But God is in the liminal space of the not yet. God is in the waiting. The destination is awesome, but God is here in the journey. My Christian walk is not only about where I wind up. It is also about the journey with Jesus. Lord, teach me to wait. 

Kristene DiMarco (Bethel Music) sings:

Take courage my heart

Stay steadfast my soul

He’s in the waiting 

He’s in the waiting

Hold onto your hope

As your triumph unfolds

He’s never failing

He’s never failing