Our Purpose During the In-Between

GETTING STARTED

In his book, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, Eugene H. Peterson quotes a story that describes the experience of being “in-between”—such as, between the time we leave home and the time we arrive at our destination, or between the time we leave doubt and the time we arrive at faith. It is similar to the moment when a trapeze artist lets go of the bars and hangs in midair, ready to catch another support. It is a time of danger, of expectation, of uncertainty, of excitement.

The Scripture reading today is about that time “in-between,” which I believe describes our short time here on earth, waiting for the promises of God to be fulfilled. This is not our ultimate destination, but while we’re here, what’s our purpose? How do we live? Why?

READ THE WORD: COLOSSIANS 1:9-14 (ESV)

⁹ And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

RESPOND TO GOD

Paul lays out the “what, why, and how” for this in-between time on earth. What is to know his will. Not just casually, but “in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” This conveys intensified, clear, personal knowledge. We must entirely focus on God, to know the will of God. Why? So that we can have a worthy walk, one that pleases him. How? Through the power conveyed to us when we became a child of God. The power that will allow us to joyfully endure all that is set before us.

Applying these words is still very limited in my own life. It is being revealed bit-by-bit and, often, excruciatingly slowly. That is why verse 11 has been such a focus for me. God seems to emphasize and reveal that to follow him, to know his will, requires joyful endurance and joyful patience. That is not natural, I daresay, for me or for you. This only comes about supernaturally through power that can, and does, come only from God. I’m willing to submit myself to this powerful God because he has redeemed me through a powerful work that required the death of his only son. It doesn’t seem like a fair trade, as he’s given up far more than will ever be required of me. But that’s not just what he’s offered, that’s what he has done.

The “in-between” time isn’t always accompanied by the trapeze artist’s exhilaration of hanging in mid-air; more often, it is waiting for my turn and it is somewhat mundane. In both the mundane and the exhilarating times, he is at work in us. Embrace this “in-between” time and rejoice with me in the process of change that is taking place in our lives, because God has delivered us from a domain of darkness into the new kingdom of his beloved son.