“I am
weary with my crying; My throat is dry; My eyes fail while I wait for my God.” Psalms 69:3 NKJV
“Are
we there yet?” How often I heard that
when traveling with my daughters when they were small. In retrospect, I think it was preparation for
how often I hear it now as I teach on the nearness of the rapture of the
Church. How do you cope with waiting? We
live in a world that embraces and often demands instant gratification, so it
comes as no surprise that even believers have difficulty waiting. Yet when we
study the scriptures, a reoccurring theme from God is often our need to wait
upon Him! Obviously God in His wisdom has decided there are lessons to be
learned from waiting, and I'm sure most of us have cried out much as David did
because we are weary from waiting. But are we alone in this? Look at what Paul
tells us in his letter to the Romans.
“For we
know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until
now. Not only [that], but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even
we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the
redemption of our body.” Romans 8:22-23 NKJV
Why
does the entire creation groan? No doubt because of the changes brought about
by the fall in Genesis where even the shape of this world was altered by the
introduction of sin. Notice that Paul is telling us here that both nature and
man are waiting for the exact same event; the return of Christ! And the reason
we groan? We as believers know what we will receive when Christ calls us home
to be with Him forever. The anticipation of leaving this earth grows every day
as we watch the events around us which give evidence that the world is, like in
Noah's day, moving farther away from God rather than towards Him.
I
have noticed lately that many believers are becoming weary from waiting for the
return of the Lord for His church. Although we as believers know without a
doubt that what we are seeing today are the labor pains leading up to our
Lord's return, it is still difficult to watch what is occurring all around us,
and patiently wait for His return. Is it no wonder we find it difficult to wait
upon the Lord? We watch as our nation experiences anger, protest, and even
violence. Yet that it what is expected of us as believers, so I think it
important that we understand what God wants from us as He asks us to wait for
His return.
“Let us
hold fast the confession of [our] hope without wavering, for He who promised
[is] faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and
good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as [is] the
manner of some, but exhorting [one another], and so much the more as you see
the Day approaching.” Hebrews
10:23-25 NKJV
I
find myself continuously returning to this passage whenever I consider the
nearness of Christ's return because it specifically tells us what is expected
of us as we “see the day approaching”. Paul's message to us here is actually a
very simple one, but also a very important one. The first thing he does is
encourage us by reminding us of the fact of God's faithfulness. God has
promised that He will deliver us from this world and He will be faithful to do
exactly that. The second thing Paul does is tell us to do is pass this
encouragement along to others who believe.
As
I thought about this passage one of the ideas that came to mind was that
discouragement means our focus is inward. We get discouraged because our
concern is about what we have yet to receive, impatience that we are being
asked to wait, and probably a little doubt about the validity of the promise. I
think that is why Paul's first advice to us concerns God's faithfulness. We
often need to be reminded that God is always faithful to deliver on His
promises. It's never a question of “if”, but of “when”.
“He who
calls you [is] faithful, who also will do [it].” 1 Thessalonians 5:24 NKJV
Of
course, if we stop looking in and start looking out, we then see that there are
others who will benefit from the encouragement we can give by sharing the
message of God's faithfulness. How often have we thought that we were alone in
being discouraged when in fact there are so many others within the body that
deal with the same problems we do. Becoming discouraged while being made to
wait is something we have all felt at one time or another, and what better way
to cope than to get together with other believers who can empathize and
encourage? Sharing the encouragement of God's faithfulness to others in the
body is Paul's advice to us especially at this time.
“and so
much the more as you see the Day approaching” I
think that this phrase is also Paul's way of saying that the closer we get to
the rapture of the church, the more the need for encouragement. I read more and
more every day of those in the body who are going through hard times and facing
attacks from the enemy and are in desperate need of encouragement. I have no
doubt that Noah and his family felt their share of persecution in the time
leading up to the flood, and how difficult it must have been to not get
discouraged as they waited for the Lord. Yet I believe the key once again is to
look forward to the promise we have from God with the knowledge He is faithful
to do as He has promised.
“For
our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more
exceeding [and] eternal weight of glory,”
2 Corinthians 4:17 NKJV
The
more we must endure down here increases the joy we will find when we finally
experience the glory of life with God in the place He has prepared for us. Remember,
the longer the wait, the stronger the anticipation and the greater the
appreciation. We know what is expected of us here on this earth, and it should
come as no surprise that the opportunities to share our faith will increase
dramatically as the end draws near. In a way, you could say this is our time to
shine, and God has promised to give us the strength necessary to succeed.
“For
the LORD [is] good; His mercy [is] everlasting, And His truth [endures] to all
generations.” Psalms 100:5 NKJV
Are you discouraged today? Does it seem like
what we are waiting for will never get here? Let me encourage you by reminding
you that our hope is in the Lord. He is always faithful to do as He has said.
God has never failed to fulfill a promise, and of course He never will. Take
the time we have left by sharing this promise with others and encourage them to
receive the gift of eternal life if they have not already done so.
At
times, waiting can be agony. I won't deny that and neither will you. It's easy
to become discouraged when we are asked to wait when our expectations are so
high. How long? I have no idea, but it certainly doesn't look like it will be
much longer until the labor pains will be over and we will be delivered to
glory with Him, and the world to its tribulation. There are reasons for making
us wait, and it goes without saying that every day the Church remains is
another day that we can share the promise of salvation that is available
because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Look to God for
strength, and be busy making the most of the opportunities we have in the short
time we have left.
Keep
watching.
