Living in the now is a portion of a quote I read in Ruth Chou Simons’ “Now and Not Yet,” and I’m pondering it with you today.
For Lent 2025, I’ll be writing new blog posts every day. I’m writing for only five unedited minutes on a quote of the day to deepen our faith in this Lenten season.
Day 24 of Lent 2025 – March 28
I love Ruth Chou Simons’ books, and I even got to interview her years ago on THIS POST. Her book, Now and Not Yet, is great encouragement for those of us waiting through a season we’d rather not endure, like I am now. I must admit, I bought it last year because I knew I should read it, but didn’t want to read it. I’m picking it back up now to be obedient to the Lord as I try to wait well in the now-and-not-yet season.
David’s Story of Living in the Now
I’m pondering the concept of living in the now as I watch the House of David series on Amazon Prime. As I watch David struggle with frustration in the space of being anointed as king, yet still subjected to living as a shepherd and musician, new life is breathed into familiar Bible stories I’ve known since childhood. I see David’s great potential even as a young man, similar to my story as a gifted student talented in the arts. In the series, I see the hidden strengths he’s perfected in the lonely wilderness, like the ones I’ve had myself against my will.
As a young man, David struggled with living in the now, just like me. Yet we can see from the Scriptures that God used that lonely time in the wilderness, before David was ever anointed as king, to shape him into a man after God’s own heart. In those lonely spaces, David honed his musical skills and writing talents, which we still enjoy thousands of years later in the Psalms. He also gained courage, physical strength, and poise as he fought lions and bears, which paid off in his epic battle with Goliath. All these benefits came from the season David would rather not have endured. They were shaping him to be the mighty king of Israel who was a forebearer of Jesus – that’s why God said his kingdom would have no end.
We know the end of David’s story, but he didn’t know what was ahead of him. He struggled with frustration, anger, impatience, and sadness as recorded in so many Psalms. I’m glad the scriptures show him as a real, imperfect human being, so we can relate to him in his struggles.
Living in the Now
Ruth’s book is a wonderful companion to help us learn to live in the now with hope and peace rather than resistance. Through her own stories and Bible stories like David’s story, she talks about the purpose God has for us in our seasons of waiting, even when we don’t see it. I can shift my thinking from seeing this as a season of surviving to a season of thriving, just in different ways, like David experienced in the wilderness. I’m grateful for her writing that points me toward positivity rather than the natural negativity I feel as I keep waiting.
Here are a few more quotes from Ruth’s book:
- It’s hard to live on purpose in the present when your expectations take you somewhere else.
- God is indeed purposeful right here, in the midst of it all.
- The core belief of restlessness stems from thinking I can’t truly rest until I secure everything I think I need.
- If our desire is to experience more of God’s purposes and plans for our lives, then a posture of rest in the God we trust – free and unhindered- is exactly what we must cultivate right now.
Get your copy of Ruth’s book HERE.
Join me again tomorrow for another reflection on a different quote. I encourage you to share your thoughts about today’s quote in the comments below.
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