“But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” – Romans 8:25
Does it bother you to have to wait in line at the grocery store? How about at an amusement park? Do you yearn for a faster way to get a package than via over-night mail? Perhaps patience is not your strong point. Unfortunately, it’s not really mine either, but I am learning!
It has been said that patience is a virtue. That means that if you are a patient person, you are demonstrating moral excellence in being able to wait. Any “moral excellence” I have acquired in waiting goes up in smoke as I tap my foot in frustration at the length of time it takes my microwave to heat up my cup of coffee. However, I have learned that there are some things that are definitely worth waiting for.
The Bible tells us that one day Jesus will come again, and many of us who have trusted Christ as our Saviour, believe that day will be soon. Psalm 37:7 tells us, “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him…” But some are having a hard time waiting, and they wish He would have come yesterday! Why? The conditions of this sin-sick world are overwhelming, and at times, the outlook seems grim. But the Lord has good reasons to withhold His appearing. 2 Peter 3:9 records, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” God is waiting to send His Son to earth again because He wants everyone to have an opportunity to come to Christ for forgiveness of sins before Jesus appears in the clouds to take all born-again believers back to heaven with Him. The Lord asks that we patiently wait for Him and continue to do His work until He returns.
The closer it is to Jesus’ return, the more fervently we should be working to share the gospel with a lost and dying world. In Luke 10:2, Jesus stated, “Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.” We are those laborers! Instead of tapping our toes impatiently as we wait for the return of Christ, we should use the time God is giving us to share Jesus with others. Then, as we witness to them, knowing we doing His work, we can be truly waiting patiently…“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” (Titus 2:13). Who knows, the one that you lead to Christ may be the last one God is waiting for before He sends His Son, Jesus, to bring His children home!
My heart can sing when I pause to remember
A heartache here is but a stepping stone
Along a trail that’s winding always upward,
This troubled world is not my final home.
This weary world with all its toil and struggle
May take its toll of misery and strife;
The soul of man is like a waiting falcon;
When it’s released, it’s destined for the skies.
But until then my heart will go on singing,
Until then with joy I’ll carry on,
Until the day my eyes behold the city,
Until the day God calls me home.
(from “Until Then” by Stuart Hamblen)
“Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” – Acts 1:11
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“Great things come to those who wait.” – Lincoln
Thank you, Jayne, for this wonderful devotion and reminder as I wait for the Lord’s return to “continue to do His work until He returns.”
God bless you, Jayne, for using your time and talent to share God’s Word and give encouragement.
Thank you, Sandra, for always encouraging me. I cherish our friendship. So glad God united our families!