Are we there yet?

I remember vividly our vacation trips when our kids were at home. We would pack up the car and head out, usually to the mountains or the beach. If the destination was the mountains, the trip would take around three and one half hours. If it was the beach, a couple of hours would be added. With four kids and a packed vehicle, it would always be an interesting and eventful time.

Not long on the road, my wife and I would hear the words coming from the back seat... "Are we there yet?" They would be repeated several times during the course of the trip. Our children always enjoyed the destination, but not necessarily the grind of the trip.

I see myself that way sometimes. I enjoy the blessings of the powerful services when we gather together at church. With the electrifying praise and worship, it is easy to preach. We seldom have what we be called a "bad service" but lately the good ones have been even better. There is a sense of expectancy as we gather together, and the atmosphere lingers during the week. This has been going on for several weeks now. God is good!!

And yet I know that this is not all there is. I still find myself saying, "Are we there yet?" Is this it? I see some of the signals of the beginning of revival, but there are also the lingering signs that reveal the desired place is not yet...

Struggles with the flesh, lusts, indifference in the church tells me we are not there yet. The giving of the saints doesn't match up with their shouts, we are not there yet. Divisions, quarreling, and gossip, no we're not there yet. We're getting there, but we're not yet there.

And yet, in an imperfect church with an imperfect pastor, this I know: While we are not "there" (the place we desire to be in Christ), he is "here." In the midst of the church, Jesus walks, moves, talks, acts. Look in the book of Revelation. To the imperfect churches of Asia Minor he comes.

I am in a pursuit to get to HIM. Others in the vehicle with me are as well. We see the lights of revival, but we are not yet complete, not yet restored. The good news is that Jesus comes to us. It is an ongoing process. Like a vast array of mountains or ocean waters, we are on the verge.

Are we there yet? No.... but Yes!