The Tension of the 'Now & Not Yet'

How do we navigate being in the middle of a promise and its fulfilment, in the middle of a prophecy and its manifestation, or in the middle of what has been before and what is yet to come?

Whether you’ve walked with God for a long while or a little while, you may find yourself resonating with the tension of the ‘in-between’; or what is also known to many as the ‘now and not yet.’

I believe that all of us as followers of Jesus already constantly live in this tension as we wait in expectation for the glory of our risen King, Jesus, to be revealed when he returns. While we have this hope and expectation that Jesus will restore all things to himself in eternity, you and I are still here, in the current state of our reality. This doesn’t mean that God isn’t in our present reality with us, whatever that looks like, but it does mean that for an all-knowing, eternal God, this tension is not something He experiences, but one we do. It’s true that God always has a higher perspective and objective that may not always be known to man. While you and I can get glimpses, revelations, visions or prophesies about it, we can still find ourselves waiting in the now and not yet for those things to become our reality.

I’ve definitely found myself in the wrestle of the in-between time and time again and while it can be uncomfortable, I’ve also discovered that its in this place that God has indeed been patient with me to teach me, train me, refine me and prepare me for whatever is ahead. God doesn’t just have our eternity in mind, He also has our future — here in this present age — in mind. It’s no wonder the Bible tells us we are positioned in the ‘heavenly places’, where we are seated with Christ (Ephesians 2:6). It’s from this place we are called to love, serve, lead and be; living in a constant awareness of eternity in our everyday lives too. We won’t need to be encouraged to live from heavenly places when we get to heaven — we need this truth here on earth! Even in this place, I’ve been reminded to pray just as Jesus prayed, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” (Matthew 6:10) because its this Kingdom and heavenly reality you and I need in our here and now.

So how do you know you’re in the tension of the ‘now and not yet’?

When you’re so conscious of God’s Kingdom being established here on earth as it is in heaven, but you also know there’s so much more of His Kingdom still coming.
When you feel the weight or urgency of running in all God has called you to, but there’s a still a process of preparation you have to go through.
When you have an expectation for something to shift, or for great change, but you don’t yet know how to put language around it, or what area that change is pertaining to.
When you’ve had glimpses or prophecies about the promises of God over your life but you’re still in the reality of them not being fulfilled yet in your life.

The tension of the ‘now and not yet’ can be difficult. It can feel uncomfortable, especially if you’ve been waiting for months or years, in and out of seasons for something. It’s possible to feel crazy in going back to the things God has promised or praying the prayers you’ve prayed for so long, believing for them to be answered. Whether you’re waiting for a move of God or for promises in your life to be fulfilled, don’t let your weariness lead you to complaint, complacency or further from Him. It’s possible that this in-between is God’s very invitation to you and I to go deeper and to seek Him even more than we have before. We can still find Jesus even in the middle of our wrestles and in the discomfort.

So maybe you’re in this place, perhaps for the first time, the first time in a while or for the hundredth time, but you’re probably asking: ‘What do I do in these moments?’ Here’s some strategies with Scripture references you can go over and keep in your back pocket with you:

1. Remain in Christ.

‘Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.’ — John 15:4 NIV

2. Wage war with your prophecies.

‘This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare…’ — 1 Timothy 1:18 NKJV

3. Train yourself to be patient.

‘You, too, must be patient. Don't give up hope. The Lord will soon be here.’ — James 5:8 GW

4. Wait.

‘The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.’ — Lamentations 3:26 ESV

Learning how to wait, and waiting well is easier said than done, but just because significant periods of time have passed since we received a promise or a prophecy, doesn’t necessarily mean we’re waiting well. Often we can grow impatient, discouraged and frustrated because we’re not seeing the results we want when we want them.

One definition of being ‘patient’ is:

To be ‘able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious.’

Waiting looks like choosing to hold onto peace rather than being worried, annoyed or anxious. We can tolerate delays and even detours without being thrown off course because we’re actively choosing to trust God. It means we withhold our complaints and instead choose to use the language of faith rather than that of frustration or fear.

The tension of the now and not yet can often be followed by something that many often of us love to celebrate and rejoice about: suddenlies. A suddenly is when God interrupts the current state of your reality to intervene with the glory and goodness of His Kingdom. It’s when God steps in unexpectedly and supernaturally to do that which you waited on or even that which you simply did not see coming. It’s when the appointed time comes for that promise to be fulfilled, for that breakthrough to come forth and for that miracle to be established.

There’s a passage in the Gospel of Luke that talks about how we can wait well for Christ. It invites us to live from this constant place of readiness, knowing that at any point, our Groom, Jesus will come when we least expect it.

‘Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak.’

Luke 12:35-38

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Friend, be encouraged! God is looking for a faithful people who will faithfully steward His goodness and His glory. He is looking for a Church who will keep the lamps of their faith burning.

I pray that in this season and in the next, God would find you ready and prepared, in a posture of expectation so that He can use you for what He is wanting to do here on the earth. God promises that when we wait faithfully, and when we remain ready and prepared, there will be a reward.

Something tells me that for many of us in this hour, our reward is purely Him.

Mwati Tembo1 August 2023