I’ve never been a fan of cliff hangers in books and tv shows. I want to know what happens next, and I don’t want to wait a year or more for the next season to come out. All of this changed when streaming became available. Now, I fall into the trap of not having to wait and expecting things to come right after the 10 second pause between episodes. It is a double-edged sword, to say the least.
The same is true within my own life. I find that I don’t like waiting. I want to know what happens next. I often become impatient or give into worry and fear, imagining all the different scenarios that can happen.
Worth the Wait
Most things in life require a period of waiting. Sometimes the thing we’re waiting for is worth the wait. In other times, it may not be. When Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised that He would one day return. But we would have to wait for that day. Unlike the things of this world that are not always worth the wait, Jesus’ return is the greatest thing that we will ever have to wait for, and it is the one sure thing we can hope for.
The prophet Isaiah writes that the day of Christ’s return will be one of celebration and restoration. You can hear the excitement in the people’s words in Isaiah. He writes, “Look, here is our God! We waited for him, and he delivered us” (Isaiah 25:8-9). Death will be no more. Pain, suffering, and tears will be a distant memory. We will be made new in our glorified bodies, and we will forever be in the presence of our Savior. It is a day that is surely coming but one that sometimes can be hard to imagine.
John, in the book of Revelation, further writes that Jesus will return bodily to gather all people who have placed their faith in Him. For the believer, it will be a day of great rejoicing and the day that our true lives, our forever, will begin. For those who don’t know Jesus, it will be a day of mourning and trembling, for they failed to trust in the only One who could bring life and freedom.
Sure and Steady Promise
Jesus promised that this day would come soon. That may sound ironic because that promise was made over 2,000 years ago. But when we look at the whole of Scripture, we see that God’s promises never fail. And if He has fulfilled all promises up until this point, there’s no way that He will fail in coming through on this promise.
While we wait for the day where we will hear the trumpets sound, the clouds part, and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords descending from on high, we can wait in eager anticipation with a job to do. Jesus calls all believers to spend their lives on mission to make the name of Jesus known throughout the world. We see this in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). God calls all believers to share the Good News of Jesus to the watching and hurting world. The Day of Jesus’ return does not have to be a day of mourning for some (2 Peter 3:9). Instead, it can be a day of rejoicing knowing that they will be reunited with their Savior.
Though waiting is not easy for us this side of heaven, we know that we don’t have to wait and hope that God will come through. We know that He will in His perfect timing. While we wait, we continue to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom and seek to live in a way that honors Him and shares the love of Christ with all. We can rejoice today knowing that our joy will one day be made complete.
