Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. (Revelation 1:7, NKJV).
Father, here I am again; needing to hear a word from You. Please speak for I am listening. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
How old were you when you heard for the first time that Jesus was coming back to earth to take His people home? I must have been approximately twelve or thirteen years old when I heard the “Good News” for the first time – and that was a long time ago. I am not quite sure how I felt when I first heard it. But as the years went by, depending on who the preacher was, I would feel fearful or hopeful, but mostly fearful.
When did my feeling go from fear to joy? When my relationship with Jesus became more intimate. When I learned to love the Lord with all my heart. When I began to search the Scriptures more profoundly. That was when I began to look forward to Jesus’ return. I remember praying: “Lord no matter how pleasant my life on earth should become, I never want to stop longing for heaven!”
But it was not until our precious darling, our firstborn, our beloved daughter Julie, fell asleep in the Lord, that the return of Jesus became the event that eclipsed every other event in my life. My constant prayer and longing has become “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20)!
Are you longing for Jesus to come? Is this the focus of your life? Or is it merely a topic you have heard in Christian circles for a long time, and yet the Lord has not returned; so now you are not even sure if you should believe it or not? If that is the case, you are not alone. The faith of many Christians has been severely tried during the long night of waiting.
Perhaps that is why Jesus dedicated so many of His parables to the exercise of watching and waiting (Matthew 24:36-25:13). Waiting is usually never an easy thing to do; especially for a “push button” generation. People have outgrown the habit of waiting. They want what they want – and they want it now!
One thing that makes waiting bearable is the trustworthiness of the person you are waiting on or for. If it is someone that you can depend upon you can wait in hope. On the other hand if you are waiting on someone who has let you down in the past, it can be a very stressful and anxiety-filled experience.
In our Scripture for today, John the Revelator is writing under inspiration about the promise left by One he had learned to trust wholeheartedly. This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ – the One who cannot lie (Numbers 23:19, Hebrews 6:17,18). And John expresses his complete faith in this promise, and ends it with a powerful “Amen” (so let it be)! And it will be so! Sooner than we believe!
Are you ready for Jesus to come? “For He that shall come will come and will not tarry” (Hebrews 10:37). Now it might seem long for those of us who can hardly wait to see the ones we have loved and lost. But just remember that He who promised cannot, will not, lie. Though He seems to tarry – He will come again!
If you are not ready. Go to Him right now and confess your sins. Receive Him into your heart and ask Him to receive you as His son or daughter. He is more willing to answer that prayer, than you are to pray it. Now you can wait in hope! You can wait in peace! You can wait in joy! He is coming back for you and me. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” Amen!