As Peter closes out his second letter, he reminds his beloved readers one more time to wait diligently for the return of Christ that they might be found at peace. As I read through his exhortation, my thoughts can’t help but drift to the many seasons of waiting that I’ve been through. A summer spent waiting between engagement and marriage. Two pregnancies spent waiting for the arrival of a new, tiny baby. A year spent waiting for medical clearance to move overseas on the mission field. If I’m honest, one of the last words I would use to describe those seasons is peaceful. Overwhelming? Yes. Anxious? Absolutely. Exciting? Sometimes.
The seasons of waiting in my life have often been characterized by tension and trepidation. I find myself caught between desiring the safety and comfort I find when I feel in control of the present and the hope I have that the future might bring something new and life-giving.
But that reality is that many of the things we long for and wait for during our time on earth fall short of our expectations.
Oftentimes what we hope for, long for, pray for, and wait for do not bring what we expect.
Apart from the promises of God, nothing is sure in this life. But hallelujah we have those promises of God! We know the ending of our story. We are waiting for something secure and firm, a hope that cannot be shaken.
As Peter so firmly reminds us, Jesus is coming back. Not a single one of our expectations for Christ’s return will be met with disappointment. In fact, I believe that our earthly expectations for eternity with Jesus will fall amazingly short of what we’ll actually experience in His presence. And that should bring us deep-seated peace.
This future promise we wait for rests on the past and present faithfulness of God.
We believe Jesus is coming back because we have already experienced the life-transforming power and grace of His redemptive work on the cross. We have seen His glory and His power on full display in our lives through the wholeness His death and resurrection bring us. It’s this tension between the already and the not-yet of Christ’s glory that propels us forward in hope.
But our peaceful waiting isn’t lived out by hunkering down and hiding out until Jesus returns. The peace God gives us isn’t simply about the absence of fear or trepidation or worry. It’s being brought back into and growing in a relationship with the God who made us and loves us and wants us and has a plan for us.
This peace reminds us that we have been reconciled with God and made whole in Christ.
Paul reminds us of God’s promise that “therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1 ESV).
In the body of Christ, or the church, peace encourages us to seek out unity and love among our fellow Christians as we grow together into the image of Christ. I’m drawn back to Peter’s earlier reminder that we are the people of God and that together we proclaim His excellencies (1 Peter 2:9-10). In the world, our peace drives us to be peacemakers, to share the good news of Jesus with others that they too may find peace in Him. Jesus teaches that “blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9 ESV).
As I’ve studied through this passage, the Lord has brought a few questions to mind for reflection:
Am I prioritizing peace in my heart? Do I continue to work and toil to be good enough to earn God’s favor, or am I resting in the gift of God’s grace of salvation? How can I begin every morning reminding myself that I am reconciled to God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ?
Am I pursuing peace with my Christian community? Do I cherish the body of Christ and desire to see the church grow in maturity and unity? What would it look like for my Christian community to grow more like Jesus together?
Am I sowing peace in the lost world around me? Do I look for opportunities to share the truth of God’s peace with those I come in contact with every day? How can I grow in my prayer life for the salvation of family and friends?
Peter gives us the secret for waiting with peace. He exhorts us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” each and every day. If we wait diligently, if we grow deeper in the knowledge of our Savior, if we spend time listening to His promises through prayer and His word, we’ll find ourselves anchored in gratitude for the peace He has brought us, marked by brotherly love for the saints He has placed beside us to walk with, and full of compassion to see the world come to share in this peace. My prayer is that one day we will all be found ready when the Prince of Peace Himself returns to call us heavenward.
