Shabbat Reflection: The Already and the Not Yet

“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance…”—Hebrews 11:13

Living Between Two Horizons

Dearest one,

Shabbat arrives like a gentle sigh at the end of a long week—a pause in time, a window into eternity. And yet, even as we rest in God’s presence, we carry within us a quiet ache:

We have tasted the Kingdom, but we have not yet seen it in full.

We live in the tension of the already and the not yet—where joy and sorrow, fulfillment and longing, rest and reaching, all coexist in the soil of our faith.

Shabbat helps us practice the art of holy tension. It teaches us to celebrate what is true now, while still yearning for what is yet to be.

And that’s not a weakness. That’s faith.

A Better Country—Not Yet Seen

Hebrews 11 speaks of those who lived as strangers and exiles on the earth. They longed for a better country—a heavenly one. They lived not because they had all the answers, but because they had a promise. And they saw it, even if only from afar.

“Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”—Hebrews 11:16

You, too, are journeying toward that city.

You are walking through a world that is beautiful, but broken. You experience joy, but you also carry longing. And that’s not failure. That’s the life of a pilgrim. One who walks by the light of promises not yet fully seen.

Hidden Story: Simeon at the Temple

In Luke 2, we meet Simeon—an old man who had waited his whole life to see the Messiah. He lived in the “not yet” of Israel’s hope. Yet he remained faithful, watching, praying, believing.

And one ordinary day… he sees a baby in his arms and knows: The wait was not in vain.

“My eyes have seen Your salvation… a light for revelation to the nations.” (Luke 2:30–32)

He did not see the whole reign of the Kingdom—but he saw the beginning, and it was enough.

Shabbat invites you to be like Simeon. To rest in the in-between. To hold hope gently, even when it feels slow in coming. Because the promise is not lost. The King is still on the move.

Reflection & Journaling Prompts

1. Where do you feel the ache of the “not yet” in your life or in the world? What hope are you still waiting for?

2. How can you hold that longing without losing heart—trusting God’s timing like Simeon?

3. What signs of the “already”—the glimpses of God’s Kingdom—did you see this week, no matter how small?

“Behold, I am making all things new.”—Revelation 21:5

This Shabbat, may you rest in the arms of the One who holds all of time. The One who has planted eternity in your heart and who walks with you through the wait.The One who says: “You are not forgotten. You are not alone. The promise still stands.”

So breathe deep, dear one. Celebrate what is. Hope for what will be. And let Shabbat remind you:

The story is not over.

The fullness of the Kingdom is coming.

And your faith is part of its unfolding.