Once, on being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in our midst.” Luke 17:20‑21

“The kingdom is God is in our midst.” Dallas Willard explains it like this, “The whole of reality is penetrated through and through by God. The kingdom of God is among us – a dynamic, unseen system of divine reality.” I believe that this invisible reality can be seen and experienced, but we must pay close attention.

Many years ago, I had a profound encounter with this invisible reality. Jay and I were on our way to Birmingham, Alabama, for heart surgery for our infant son, Brock. We stopped at McDonald’s to get my daily Diet Coke. As I stood in line, there was a mom holding a child, and I asked how old her son was. She said he was eleven months old, and then I blurted out that we were taking our six‑month‑old for heart surgery. This perfect stranger responded that her son had Tetralogy of Fallot, and he had had a heart operation when he was six months old. In a state of disbelief, I shared that this was Brock’s condition as well.

Something was happening behind the scenes in this invisible realityto have me meet this mom in this McDonald’s line at this exact place at this exact point in time. While her son lived, our story took a very heartbreaking turn, and Brock died after surgery. With many years of hindsight, I am convinced that we encountered the presence of God in that conversation at McDonald’s. It was God’s way of letting us know that he saw us, he knew our struggle to come, and that he would be in our midst all along the way.

For Reflection

What circumstance have you encountered that can only be by God’s orchestration?
What was the significance of that encounter?
When have you noticed God in your midst?

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you that you are always at work behind the scenes on our behalf. Help us to be aware not only of what is happening in front of us, but also attuned to the invisible reality all around us. Thank you that what is seen and unseen is all a part of your divine reality in our lives. AMEN.