Shifting Our Focus From the Future Back to the Present
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalms 118:24 NRSV
Series: Waiting on God: Shifting Our Focus
Devotional: 2 of 5
We tend to lose focus in seasons of waiting on God, causing our thoughts and actions to become fixated on the future. If we aren't careful, the longing for what we are waiting for begins to grow and grow and grow - until one day, it has taken on a life all its own. When this happens, you and I are in danger of losing touch with our present reality - effectively living in a dream world that has yet to come to pass. When our future begins to swallow up our present life, we are in jeopardy of missing out on what God has for us in the here and now.
So what are we in danger of missing out on: Here are two things.
First, we are in danger of missing out on where God is. Adele Ahlberg Calhoun once wrote, "God's people learn to wait with God in the present moment. Because that is the only place God is found. The past with its regrets is irretrievably gone. The future with its what-ifs is out of our control. But now, right now, it is possible to be with God. It is possible to wait and say yes to God in what is." (emphasis added) God is not bound by time; He was with you in the past, and He will be with you in the future. In fact, 2 Peter 3:8 states that "with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day."
However, our lives here on earth are bound by time and space, so the only place for you and I to meet with God is in the present moment we have been given. Psalm 118:24 reminds us of the importance of each new day, "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." And James 4:14 provides us with a sobering reminder of the frailty of life, "Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."
Second, when our eyes are fixed on the future, we devalue the people and experiences in our current season of waiting. What if in the moment you are living right now, God is in the process of transforming you into the person you will need to be in the future? What if each new day, given to you and me, is an opportunity to partner with God to point others to the Cross? What if the waiting you are experiencing right now really is the destination - a journey far more important to God than any future place in time?
Today, in your time alone with Jesus, consider this question. As you wait on God, are you stuck in a future moment, causing you to miss out on the present moment right in front of you? If so, what would it look like to shift your focus back to the gift of life that God has given you - the present moment right before you?
OnThe3rdDay Devotionals
Devotionals that illustrate Biblical principles in a simple and short format that can be applied to your everyday life.
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