Something really exciting is happening this coming Wednesday. It’s something I’ve been waiting for almost a whole year: my best friend is coming home! If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time, you’ve heard about her. And if you follow my writing blog, you probably saw my adventures in England and Scotland when I went to visit her this summer.
I can’t even explain how eager I am to have her home. I’ve felt like I’ve been missing a limb this year, or maybe the other half of my heart. And as I was sitting here freezing in my unheated upstairs office (it’s 13 degrees outside), I started thinking about another instance where Someone long-expected dropped by for a visit.
Star of Bethlehem ornament on my tree, Haven, KS
Today’s verses are Titus 2:11-14.
For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.
Did you realize God promised to send Jesus to save us in the book of Genesis? That’s the first book of the Bible. Shortly after Adam and Eve sinned, God promised to send a Savior. From that moment on, people were waiting for Him. Prophets wrote about Him. Writers composed songs about Him. And believers in every nation of the world never stopped searching the skies for Him.
They waited thousands and thousands of years. Shoot, that makes my mere 11 months of waiting for my Katie to come home seem like nothing. Thousands and thousands of years? Good grief. And I’m going to be giddy with excitement when I see her. Imagine how people felt when Christ came!
It’s no wonder the wise men travelled so far. It’s no wonder the shepherds bowed at the manger. They had been waiting a very, very long time.
When you get right down to it, we’re still waiting for Him. He came, yes, and He left again, but He promised to come back. And Jesus always keeps His promises. So the world has lapsed back into
watchful skepticism, waiting for Him to appear on the clouds and take us home.
How many people died waiting for Him to come in the first place? How many people dreamed of the moment that He would come to Earth and what they would do and what they would say, and then they died before that moment could come to fruition? I’m sure it happened. There have been many people who have died before they got to experience the fulfillment of God’s promises on Earth. True, they got to experience the fulfillment of God’s promises in Heaven, which is ten times better than experiencing it down here. But waiting can be disheartening.
Sometimes the longer you wait, the harder it is to believe that those promises will ever actually come to be. In those moments when you want to give up and despair, remember who God is. This is the God who made the universe, who knew we would betray Him and loved us anyway. This is the God who has kept every promise He ever made, even when we didn’t deserve His kindness. This is the God who sacrificed His own Son so we could have life.
God promised to send Jesus to save us, and He did. God has promised to redeem us, and He has. God has promised Christ will come again. So we’re waiting, and we’ll keep waiting until we finally get to see Him.
It’s like knowing you’re going to get a Christmas present but not being able to see it until the day you can open it. It’s like waiting for your best friend to come home after a year away, knowing that she will be there soon but not being able to hug her until you’re in the same room. It’s something you know but you can’t experience yet.
Waiting is hard, but we don’t wait in vain. God isn’t late; He’ll show up exactly when He means to, exactly when the time is right. So don’t give up. Keep waiting. And imagine how exciting it will be when we finally get to meet face to face.
Always Peachy 