Already in Progress
“We now join the following program already in progress.”
If you are above a certain age (we’ll intentionally leave to the side a discussion about just how old is old enough), you are likely very familiar with this phrase. Those nine words—or something very close to them—were regularly used as a broadcasting bridge to transition from a concluding broadcast (often live) to an originally scheduled program. In the event the now-concluded broadcast had run long, the broadcast would jump to the midpoint of the next program in order to return to the original timing schedule. It sounds antiquated in our digital age, but if we could ask for a show of hands, I wager nearly all of you would attest to being able to hear those nine words playing in your head.
I was reminded of those nine words this week when I heard these lyrics:
I can’t wait for eternity
Join the song they’re already singing
Holy, holy, holy are You Lord
The song is Endless Praise by Charity Gayle and you can hear the full song here. But first, I want to invite you to consider the powerful Truth that the eternal praise of God is already in progress, and in fact awaits the moment when you and I will join in!
It is a stunning thing to consider, but it is hardly ambiguous or a subject of uncertainty. While the physical details of your transition and mine into eternity are admittedly somewhat veiled, and while eschatological debates have a way of dividing Jesus followers, we can every confidence in the fact that the eternal praise of our God in the heavenlies is already happening! Consider the following passages that indicate the eternal is not something off in the future but rather a fixture of the here and now:
“Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand” (1 Pet. 3:21-22).
“In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Lk. 15:10).
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” (Heb. 12:1).
Finally, consider the very words of Jesus on the cross to the sinner hanging next to Him: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Lk. 23:43).
My friend, the eternal song that is yours to join is already in progress!
To be sure, you still have work to do on this side of joining it, but it is certainly not some far-off and abstract concept only to be realized in some future moment. Rather, the song is in full voice already and it anticipates your arrival and your joining in agreement!
How should this knowledge shape your reality today? I invite you to consider that perhaps your being should be buoyed by the realization that the heavenly soundtrack of your life’s purpose is already playing. The cast and the choir are in full crescendo, and perhaps that fact should animate everything from your demeanor to your gait to your attitude!
If the eternal song is already being sung, and if your spirit expresses an anticipation for the day you will join in, why not join now? Tune your ear to the heavens and lead a life that joins in the heavenly programming already in progress!
The following article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.