{A Guest Post} The Kingdom Here. Now.

I am incredibly honored to share with you one of my dearest friends, Hayley. She’s a powerhouse packed into a tiny frame, yet has one of the most tender hearts for the Lord that I’ve ever seen. I get the incredible privilege of having her speak into my life almost daily. She’s part of “my tribe” and our families do life together in community. She has walked beside me so gracefully in my waiting, and has encouraged me to go deeper into the heart of the Father. I know her words will speak to deep places in your heart, as they have to mine.

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Have you ever had a word branded onto your heart by God? A promise about what will be? A glimpse of some wild thing He’s going to do?

Yeah. Me too.

I love this about Him. Sometimes He speaks these promises through the pages of Scripture. We’ll be in a passage we’ve read a thousand times… and suddenly, it’s different. The Spirit breathes on it, and that familiar passage is now alive and bursting with a specific promise for us.

Other times, we’re simply hit with an unexpected surge of clarity. Some veil is lifted, and all of the sudden, we see how a piece of our lives is going to play out.

These Spirit-breathed promises wash over us with hope for the future. Heaven allows us to glimpse a glorious door that will one day open.

photo by Tom Wachtel

photo by Tom Wachtel

The hand that will one day wear a diamond. The womb that will one day carry life. The addiction that will one day be obliterated. The debt that will one day be cancelled. The infirmity that will one day be healed. The relationship that will one day be restored.

A tidal wave of expectation rushes over us.

photo by Taylor Cash Photography

photo by Taylor Cash Photography

The only thing is, there’s a gap between the promise He spoke and the tangible fulfillment of it. There’s in-between time, when we must carry this expectation inside, despite circumstances that scoff at it.

We hold the promise close to our hearts, most days. Some days, though, it feels a million miles away, and we nearly let go of it. But each time we nearly throw in the towel, the Father kindly, gently restores our expectation.

It’s a fragile, beautiful faith dance in our in-between time.

And if we aren’t careful, we can become so consumed with carrying and contending for our promise that we forget these all-important words of our King

“…the kingdom of God is among you.” Luke 17:21

Our ultimate promise – the one that was awaited and pent up for centuries – the mystery of having Him, knowing Him, and being one with Him…

It’s already here.

Jesus’ physical arrival on earth ushered in the Kingdom and all its fullness. But the people looking at Him with their own two eyes couldn’t see it.

Sometimes I think we’re like the Pharisees who asked Jesus when the kingdom was going to come. We live our lives waiting, thinking that “one day,” that certain thing will manifest and our joy will be complete.

Friend, I believe we have an invitation from the Father:

Stop waiting.

Stop postponing joy.

I’m already here.

I’ve prepared the table, and saved you a seat.

photo by Brooke Irby

photo by Brooke Irby

He’s knocking… and if we’ll let Him in, we’ll feast together. Now. Not “one day when” but right here, in our in-between time. We’ll eat till we’re bursting, and with a happy heart, we’ll recognize Him as the One we were longing for in the first place.

We’ll find that the Promise Keeper – not the promise – is our prize. And that no fulfilled promise can compare to the One who made that promise.

Our waiting makes room for us to discover this. It gives us time to fall in love with Him, so that when our miracle happens, we won’t mistake it for the real Prize.

So Friend, let’s do it. Let’s give ourselves over to His goodness in this moment. Let’s take our seat at the table, let our hair down, and enjoy Him…right here.

photo by Brooke Irby

photo by Brooke Irby

There’s feasting, laughter, and dancing to do now. Before the diamond comes, before that womb is full, before the debt is cancelled. Let’s fall in love, smack dab in the middle of our in-between time.

For we already have our Prize.

And His kingdom is here. Now.

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If you resonated with these words, you can find more of the treasure Hayley writes about on her blog, www.hayleyhewitt.com.

Connect with Hayley on Instagram // Facebook // YouTube

And as always, if this spoke to you, it probably will encourage others too. Would love for you to pass it along!