In Our Midst

"One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, "When will the Kingdom of God come?" Jesus replied, "The Kingdom of God can't be detected by visible signs. You won't be able to say, 'Here it is!' or 'It's over there!' For the Kingdom of God is already among you." Luke 17:20-21 NLT

Just like the Pharisee who asked Jesus in Luke 17, “When will the Kingdom of God come?”, sometimes I get caught longing for eternity and to be in Heaven with our Lord and our loved ones. The things of this earth can cause us to become weary and long for Heaven. And while that longing of eternity with Christ will someday be fulfilled, we can find joy here on this earth as God is with us even now. I am reminded by Jesus’ words that the Kingdom is already here in our midst, and every day we can experience His presence.

Because of our belief that Jesus Christ died for our sins and was resurrected to give us eternal life, we can experience God’s presence in our lives. We can see His work in our lives and the lives of others when we position our spiritual eyes to be open to seeing Him move. While sin and death are present and part of our lives, even greater is God’s grace and His hand at work! It is in Him that we can put our hope!

From the air we breathe, to the people we interact with, to the amazing miracles taking place all around us, God’s kingdom is always advancing here on this earth. Every day, we can look for the Kingdom of God at work in our lives. Even in trials, there are millions of little miracles taking place all around us:  new life being born, salvation prayers being prayed, healing taking place, addiction being overcome, families being restored, and even lives entering into eternity are all evidence of the Kingdom of God at work in and on the earth.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the things of this world that may distract our attention or focus from seeing the hand of God. Today my prayer is that our hearts would be positioned to see and experience the Kingdom of God, every day of our lives. Would you pray with me?

Prayer: God, I pray that my heart would be positioned to see and experience your Kingdom at work every day of my life. May I not miss the millions of little and big miracles taking place all around me. Thank you for sending your son Jesus to die for my sins and rise again. Because of his resurrection, I can have eternity with you. Because of his resurrection, I can experience that same resurrection power here at work in my life on this earth. I pray I would see your Kingdom in and among my midst today. Give me eyes to see what you see. In Jesus' name, Amen.