In the late 80’s, Petra, a Christian rock band, shared the following song with us:
We are pilgrims in a strange land
We are so far from our homeland
With each passing day it seems so clear
This world will never want us here
We’re not welcome in this world of wrong
We are foreigners who don’t belong
We are strangers, we are aliens
We are not of this world
We are envoys, we must tarry
With this message we must carry
There’s so much to do before we leave
With so many more who may believe
Our mission here can never fail
And the gates of hell will not prevail
We are strangers, we are aliens
We are not of this world
We are strangers, we are aliens
We are not of this world
Jesus told us men would hate us
But we must be of good cheer
He has overcome this world of darkness
Soon we will depart from here
We are strangers, we are aliens
We are not of this world
We are strangers, we are aliens
We are not of this world
Songwriters
Bob Hartman
The older I get, the more I realize what it is to be an alien in this world. I watch TV and movies, listen to songs that my teens like, and read stories about celebrities, but I always think it’s all pretty much “un-reality”, that no one really lives like that. Then, I have a conversation with an old friend who doesn’t have a relationship with Jesus and has never really had a Bible background, and it becomes reality to me. People do live life like it is portrayed in TV shows and songs on the radio….and that blows my mind.
Suddenly, the so-called “bubble” in which I’m accused of living becomes apparent. My eyes are opened and I see more clearly this world that actually isn’t home to me. It saddens me for those that don’t know there is another world that is our true home; a place that was made for us and for which we were made. It thrills me to know there is a place where I will finally find rest and feel whole, but I want everyone to know that Truth so that all of the hopeless searching to fill the emptiness inside can end, so we can all see that we will never be filled in this world because we don’t belong here. I just can’t make that happen, though…..and God has told us in His Word that even He won’t make that happen.
It’s up to each individual to choose to know the Truth and be set free by that knowledge. We, as humans, get so caught up in all our little details of day-to-dayness that we usually fail to step back and look at the big picture of life, of humanity, of history, past, present, and future. Like a Monet painting, when you are standing up close to one, you see all the amazing brush strokes, the details, and maybe even a few flaws, and it looks blurry and incomplete. Step back across the room and you can see the whole painting, then the beauty comes into focus and it all makes sense. Seeing the whole of this world, this life, looking at all of time fit together, brings into focus a bigger plan than just trying to fill our emptiness.
As people in relationship with Jesus, we will always feel out of place in this world, and this world will always try to draw us into it’s reality, to try to make us fit into it’s puzzle. God’s plan for us is to fit into the puzzle He is making, into this beautiful tapestry that He has been piecing together throughout all of time.
PIECES 