living in the now and not yet of pain
Pain is interesting.
It can push you forward…
or keep you stuck.
It can lead you toward healing…
or quietly make things worse.
It can bring you into reality…
or tempt you to escape into fantasy.
But one thing pain never does is allow you to do nothing.
There is always a response to pain.
Jesus came to rescue, redeem, and ultimately relieve us from the sting of death. And yet, we’re not in heaven yet. We live in the space between salvation and the consummation of all things — between what God has already done and what He will one day fully complete.
This “in-between” can feel confusing, overwhelming, and deeply painful — especially as followers of Jesus. We believe in healing, redemption, and restoration… and yet we still experience suffering, loss, trauma, and unanswered prayers.
So the question becomes:
What Do We Have to Keep Us Going?
First, We Have Hope
We have heaven to look forward to.
In a culture that often suggests heaven isn’t real — or that death is simply the end — Scripture offers a different promise. Not emptiness, but reunion. Not disappearance, but presence.
One day we will be fully united with God Himself.
No more pain.
No more sorrow.
No more sickness.
No more death.
God will wipe away every tear once and for all. We will worship freely and live fully in the presence of our Creator — without pain clouding our joy.
That future hope doesn’t erase today’s suffering, but it anchors us through it
Second, We Have the Holy Spirit
We are not left alone in the waiting.
The Holy Spirit — the third person of the Trinity — is given to us as a seal until that final day. He guides us, comforts us, reminds us of truth, and reveals the depth of God’s love as we live in the now and not yet.
Jesus promised that the Spirit would never leave us or forsake us.
He is present in the middle of pain.
Present in confusion.
Present when words fail.
The Spirit doesn’t rush us through suffering — He walks with us through it
Third, We Have Our Testimony
This one can be harder to accept.
If we could honestly admit how broken and lost we once were, it might bring clarity to our pain. Scripture tells us we moved from death to life — but that truth can feel distant when death feels so prevalent around us… and sometimes even within us.
There are seasons when suffering doesn’t seem to fade.
Trauma lingers.
Pain resurfaces.
Healing feels slow or incomplete.
And here’s the hard reality:
Some pain does not go away this side of heaven.
But even there — especially there — we are not without hope
Hope in the Middle of Suffering
The Christian promise is not the absence of suffering, but the presence of God within it.
Light doesn’t always remove the darkness instantly — but it allows us to see, to breathe, and to keep moving.
My hope for all of us is that in our darkest days, we would still know, feel, and sense the light of Christ. Not as denial. Not as shallow optimism. But as a deep, steady assurance that God is with us, for us, and not finished with us yet.
Even in the now and the not yet.
A Final Word of Hope
When pain feels heavy and the path ahead is unclear, Scripture doesn’t rush us past the valley — it reminds us that we are not walking through it alone. This Psalm has steadied God’s people for generations, and it continues to speak hope to us today:
Psalm 23 (The Message)
God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.
Even when the way goes through Death Valley,I’m not afraid when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook makes me feel secure.
You serve me a six-course dinner ight in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing.
Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of my life
It can push you forward…
or keep you stuck.
It can lead you toward healing…
or quietly make things worse.
It can bring you into reality…
or tempt you to escape into fantasy.
But one thing pain never does is allow you to do nothing.
There is always a response to pain.
Jesus came to rescue, redeem, and ultimately relieve us from the sting of death. And yet, we’re not in heaven yet. We live in the space between salvation and the consummation of all things — between what God has already done and what He will one day fully complete.
This “in-between” can feel confusing, overwhelming, and deeply painful — especially as followers of Jesus. We believe in healing, redemption, and restoration… and yet we still experience suffering, loss, trauma, and unanswered prayers.
So the question becomes:
What Do We Have to Keep Us Going?
First, We Have Hope
We have heaven to look forward to.
In a culture that often suggests heaven isn’t real — or that death is simply the end — Scripture offers a different promise. Not emptiness, but reunion. Not disappearance, but presence.
One day we will be fully united with God Himself.
No more pain.
No more sorrow.
No more sickness.
No more death.
God will wipe away every tear once and for all. We will worship freely and live fully in the presence of our Creator — without pain clouding our joy.
That future hope doesn’t erase today’s suffering, but it anchors us through it
Second, We Have the Holy Spirit
We are not left alone in the waiting.
The Holy Spirit — the third person of the Trinity — is given to us as a seal until that final day. He guides us, comforts us, reminds us of truth, and reveals the depth of God’s love as we live in the now and not yet.
Jesus promised that the Spirit would never leave us or forsake us.
He is present in the middle of pain.
Present in confusion.
Present when words fail.
The Spirit doesn’t rush us through suffering — He walks with us through it
Third, We Have Our Testimony
This one can be harder to accept.
If we could honestly admit how broken and lost we once were, it might bring clarity to our pain. Scripture tells us we moved from death to life — but that truth can feel distant when death feels so prevalent around us… and sometimes even within us.
There are seasons when suffering doesn’t seem to fade.
Trauma lingers.
Pain resurfaces.
Healing feels slow or incomplete.
And here’s the hard reality:
Some pain does not go away this side of heaven.
But even there — especially there — we are not without hope
Hope in the Middle of Suffering
The Christian promise is not the absence of suffering, but the presence of God within it.
Light doesn’t always remove the darkness instantly — but it allows us to see, to breathe, and to keep moving.
My hope for all of us is that in our darkest days, we would still know, feel, and sense the light of Christ. Not as denial. Not as shallow optimism. But as a deep, steady assurance that God is with us, for us, and not finished with us yet.
Even in the now and the not yet.
A Final Word of Hope
When pain feels heavy and the path ahead is unclear, Scripture doesn’t rush us past the valley — it reminds us that we are not walking through it alone. This Psalm has steadied God’s people for generations, and it continues to speak hope to us today:
Psalm 23 (The Message)
God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.
Even when the way goes through Death Valley,I’m not afraid when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook makes me feel secure.
You serve me a six-course dinner ight in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing.
Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of my life
No Comments