by Richelle Hecker

Waiting for Christ to return.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link. 

Time is a strange concept. I still have not figured out how it can seem to simultaneously speed forward and drag on slowly. I suspect it has a lot to do with how I’m feeling about a given situation. When I need to get to an appointment, it seems as if I can not move quickly enough to keep up with the day. On the other hand, when I’m sitting in a waiting room, ten minutes feels like an eternity.

Time moves especially slow when I am unsure of an outcome, or if I know the outcome but there is no exact deadline for the event. For instance, my daughter caught a caterpillar this summer. We were excited when it entered its cocoon. Research revealed that it would emerge in about ten to fourteen days, more or less, depending on what species it was. We did not know whether it would become a moth or a butterfly, nor whether it would emerge at all, let alone exactly how long we should wait.

As you can see in the photo, it emerged as a pretty moth. It was difficult to be patient and not mess with the cocoon, but the result was marvelous.

It can be difficult to be patient with God as well. We look at the state of the world around us, and sometimes we want to shout, “Jesus, come!” We wonder why it is taking so long for the end of time to arrive. We question why God allows so much pain to continue, rather than saying “enough” and sending Jesus to end it. It’s made some doubt the truth of the Bible, and whether Jesus will return at all.

  “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9 New American Standard Bible

We are impatient, but praise God that He is not! It is God’s desire that all turn and follow Him. Because of His mercy, God gives everyone the time they need to repent. Take time today to thank Him for His patience, and pray for all those who are still emerging.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado