Aliens and pilgrims

For we are aliens and pilgrims before You,
As were all our fathers;
Our days on earth are as a shadow,
And without hope. – 1 Chronicles 29.15

‘I can’t feel at home in this world anymore…’

The snippet from a gospel song jumps out at me today.

As I read this verse I think about just how true it is. Things are happening every single day that make me feel less and less like ‘this world is not my home, I’m just passing through.’ I know that Christians have always felt this way, but it seems like the pace of change in this world is spiralling out of control. We seem to fit in less and less.

But that shouldn't be a surprise to us. David wrote about the same things thousands of years ago.

God’s people are always going to be ‘aliens and pilgrims’ in a world that is broken by the curse of sin. Our days on earth are a shadow and there is no hope here because we have an eternal hope that goes far beyond our circumstances here. Our hope is not in our temporary home, but only in Jesus’ blood and His righteousness.

In fact, if we feel at home here we ought to be concerned. When this world starts to feel too comfortable it is probably because we are being conformed to this world instead of being transformed with renewed minds.

So we need to not be surprised when the world doesn’t make any sense to us. We ought to expect it.

So while we are aliens in this world instead of being distracted by it, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith.