We live in a fallen place. We are caught in the middle of what I call “the comings.” There was a first coming that had a cross and set us free. There will be a second coming that has a trumpet, a white horse, and a final battle, and it will take us home. It will be what the French call the pièce de résistance: the grand finale, the closing of this long chapter of fallenness and the end of this war we fight. It will usher all things into the beginning of a new heaven and new earth. Then, at last, there will be peace! (Rev. 17, 22).
But for now, we live in the middle of the comings, in the not-yet and the in-between. I wish it were otherwise, but you and I both know better. Our situation is similar to that of the ancient Israelites. God promised them a land flowing with milk and honey. It was given to them by God, and yet they were told they would have to fight many battles not only to possess it but also to keep it. That’s how it is with us, too. As much as I try to insulate my heart and my family from the fallenness of this present age, the war finds me and reminds me that while there is a peace coming, it is not here yet.
The Warrior is needed and the Beloved Son threatened because we live in a Larger Story where there are great battles. But though we dwell in the midst of spiritual hostility, victims, casualties, and prisoners we need not be.
An excerpt from The Heart of a Warrior.
