A family prepares for a road trip on a rather warm and sunny day. The bags are packed, the children secured, the map obtained, and the engine engaged to embark on a particularly monotonous venture that each person hopes will lead to a wonderful destination which will make up for the boring trip itself. Minutes turn into hours as once peacefully sleeping children stir and begin to fidget. What initially served as a rewarding change of scenery begins to look more like a glorified collection of cornfields on an indefinite loop. Patience is tested as blazing hot sunlight uncovers a collective irritability. Finally, the proverbial needle to break one very cranky camel's back is issued with the words "are we there yet?"

This life is a journey that can at times seem very similar to that of the previous example. We spend time preparing for heaven, gathering all the things we believe we will need to reach our destination. We join with our family to head towards the wonderful home that we know, deep down, is worth whatever it takes for us to get there. We set off, overwhelmed with joy rooted both in faith of God's promise and the testimonies of those who have gone before, and also in the hope of an indescribable reward. But days turn into weeks, and weeks into years, and slowly our joy dims. Our once new and wonderful view of life fades as we deal with the pains of grief, trials, and persecution. The routines and practices of daily life wear on our patience as we lose track of time and progress. And we as God's occasionally restless children muster the energy to cry out, "O Lord, how long?"

Why aren’t we there yet?

Do you ever find yourself asking this or a similar question? "If the end is near and Jesus is truly coming again, why hasn't He yet returned?" I believe this question can be asked honestly, but the answer (like any truth) is one that requires a humble and spiritual attitude to be well received.

When considering the end of this earthly life, let us keep in mind that God is in control and that He sees the end from the beginning. (Isaiah 46:8-11) Let us not forget that God never lies. (Titus 1:1-3) Let us consider the fact that God has already designated a time for our Lord to return, and that God's guarantee of our resurrection with Him was confirmed by His raising of Jesus Himself from the dead. (Acts 17:30-31) Just as God did not leave Jesus in hades, He will not fail to deliver us from the pains of this broken world. (Acts 2:29-32; 1 Corinthians 15:50-57) The fact remains, though, that while God cares about you and I individually, His love extends to all men. (John 3:16-17) It is God’s patience that we count as salvation. (2 Peter 3:15) The same grace and mercy we enjoy is available to all, and we as God's children ought to desire the salvation of all whose hearts are right, as God does. While we eagerly await our Savior's return, let us resolve to actively address weariness in this life by doing the work of bringing others to Christ through our words and actions, while there is still time. (Matthew 5:14-16) Let us remember that Jesus identified the “faithful and wise servant” as the one who continued working, trusting that the master would return. (Matthew 24:45-51) And while we work, let us remember that our labor is meaningful!

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV)

We live in a broken world. Since man’s first sin, God’s creation has been subjected to pain, futility, and death, and no one is left untouched by these consequences. Nevertheless, man has for ages sought remedies for the pain we experience in this life. In our quest to fight the physical pain we feel, we have even developed “painkillers.” But is this the general attitude we have adopted towards life itself? Does the unpleasantness of any pain make it unnecessary? Could there not be such a thing as necessary pain?

Vexing of the Soul

In Peter’s second epistle, while he argues for God’s faithfulness in rescuing the godly and punishing the unrighteous, he mentions Lot’s experience in Sodom and Gomorrah. (2 Peter 2:7) These cities were well known for their rampant immorality, and Lot witnessed firsthand what became of a society that purged God from every facet of life. It is in referencing Lot’s life among these cities’ wickedness that Peter brings to light one kind of pain that any righteous person ought to feel—vexation. (2 Peter 2:8) What is meant by something that vexes the soul? The greek word that is used here (kataponeo) means “to labor down, i.e. wear with toil (figuratively, harass)—oppress.” This harassing and consequent exhausting of the soul comes from unwelcome and disturbing verbal or physical conduct. Peter mentions that Lot’s righteous soul was vexed (or tormented) “day after day... over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard.” In Genesis 19, we read of Lot’s interaction with two angels and the people of Sodom right before the cities are destroyed. When the angels arrive, it is unsurprising that Lot “pressed them strongly” to stay with him, rather than spend the night in the town square. Lot had seen the wickedness of the people of Sodom enough to know that no good could come of spending time among that city’s immoral inhabitants. When the sexually immoral people of Sodom surround Lot’s house, you can almost hear the pain in his voice as Lot says, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly.” (Genesis 19:7 ESV) Must we too be tormented like righteous Lot?

Necessary or Just “Not Surprising”?

There is a difference between saying, “being persecuted by this world does not surprise me” and saying, “I ought to be vexed by the evil of this world.” While it is true that we should not be surprised by the persecution of the world, it is not only full frontal assaults that should cause us pain. If we are to be holy as God is holy, then should not the things that grieve God bother us as well? Consider how Paul expresses his attitude toward his Jewish brethren in Romans 9:1-5. Their rejection of God and His promise caused Paul “sorrow and unceasing anguish.” We know that God’s promise is to all who have faith in Him (Galatians 3:14), and it is available to the whole world. (John 3:16-17) Does it grieve us to live in a world where we must witness God’s own creation rejecting the blessings He so graciously desires to bestow?

Are we like Lot?

It is certain that we live in an age which mocks God and His commandments, resulting in all kinds of immorality, seen in both the young and the old. Does it bother us? Are we disturbed by the immodesty that stains our sidewalks? Do we shudder to think of the rampant idolatry of this nation? Does it pain us to watch families destroyed by sexual immorality? Does it anger us to watch man challenge God’s power with false theories about the origin of His creation? Does it vex our righteous souls to see and hear such lawless conduct? Is this not a necessary pain for “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus”? (2 Timothy 3:12 ESV)

As much as we may dislike pain because of its inherent unpleasantness, pain is a part of life and reminds us that we can still feel. The necessary pain of vexation is a part of being spiritually minded and living righteously, and it similarly reminds us that our feeling is directed by a reverence for God and His holiness. Let us strive not to do away with this pain, but rather to comfort one another with knowledge that God will deliver us, just like He delivered Lot. Let us not become past feeling, calloused, futile in mind, darkened in understanding, or hardened in heart, as the Gentiles Paul describes in Ephesians 4:17-19. Instead, let us encourage one another to be holy as our Father in heaven in Holy.

“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.” (Hebrews 3:12-14 ESV)