Waiting for the blessed Hope…

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“while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ…”
Titus 2:13

My niece Ellie took this great shot of the oak grove next to Trinity Lutheran Church at sunset.  I feel like these grand old trees are patiently waiting for the end of another day.  Some of these trees have been here hundreds of years and have seen many sunrises and sunsets.  Oh, the stories they might tell of what they have seen and heard underneath their branches.

For it was in this oak grove that the church held “mission festivals” for many years, outdoor services with a missionary speaker who shared the joy of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ in faraway places.  These old trees have seen generations of believers come and go, each generation perhaps thinking that it might be in their lifetime that Jesus would come again.

And still the old oaks wait.  Maybe they are thinking, “Perhaps this will be the day, the day of the Lord’s appearing.” Or perhaps they just wait patiently,   content with each day the Lord gives them.  Whatever these old fellows are thinking, they teach me a lesson in patiently anticipating each new day and thanking God for the ending of each day also.

Whether we wait for just a day or for a hundred years, we trust in the Lord’s timing and in His sure Word, that He is coming again.  And I know that it will be at the fullness of time that He will appear in His glory.  Just as in the fullness of time the Lord Jesus was born into this world and the angels sang praise and the shepherds bowed in worship.

Lord Jesus, whether you come soon or later, grant me faith and trust in your promise that You will come at the proper time.  I wait on You, yes, my soul waits upon you all day long.  Grant me the patient expectation of the old oaks… Amen.

Text Copyright Steve Nickodemus