Revelation 22
He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. – Revelation 22:20 NIV
When I was growing up as a kid, I heard my father say this phrase repeatedly, "Yes, Lord Jesus, come!" I never knew where he got it from until years later. But I did know it was a phrase I was not eager to make my own. In fact, every time I heard him say it, I would silently pray, "Not yet, Lord Jesus, not yet!" You see, I was young and I had a lot of living I wanted to do. The thought of Jesus coming before I had a chance to grow up and experience all life had to offer was not exactly attractive to me. Even as I got older I was not eager for the Lord to return. But as I have matured and experienced "all life has to offer," I have found myself praying the prayer my father has prayed all these years: "Yes, Lord Jesus, come!" The Scriptures talk about creation groaning in anticipation of Christ's return and God's restoration of all things.
For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us. – Romans 8:22-23 NLT
I really do find myself groaning, wanting to be released from the pain and suffering around me. As I talk with young couples whose marriages are on the verge of disintegration, as I see loved ones and friends dying from cancer or struggling with disease, as I watch the rapid moral decline of an entire generation, I can't help but long for the Lord to return. This world is not my home. What we see happening all around us is a distortion of what God intended. This is abnormal and, as believers, we know that we are out of place in this environment. Sure, there are times I love this world and all the toys, treasures, and pleasure it offers, but they are little more than smoke and mirrors designed to take my mind off the future reality that God has in store for me. The entire book of Revelation is about the future. It is about what is to come. And what is to come is the restoration of all things to their proper, God-inspired, righteous state.
We have heard over and over again as we have read through Revelation that the day is coming when there will be no more sorrow or pain, no more tears or weeping, no more disease, sickness, sin or sadness. Verse 3 of this chapter tells us there will no longer be any curse (Revelation 22:3). It will be a time of abundance, blessing, joy, peace, and prosperity. We will live in the presence of God – uninterrupted by sin and its influence. All that we long for now will be fulfilled. Everything we were created to enjoy and experience will become a reality. We can't even begin to understand what that day will be like. But we do know this: None of it will take place until the Lord returns. Until that day we will continue to groan and long for the promise to be fulfilled. So the older I get the more I find myself saying, "Yes, Lord Jesus, come!" I am ready.
Father, I become increasingly disenchanted with this world the longer I live in it. While there is much I enjoy about it, there is a lot that saddens me and disappoints me. It is broken. It is filled with the effects of sin and the influence of Satan. Any joy we experience here is an incomplete joy. Any peace we experience here is short-lived. Any prosperity we experience is fleeting and hollow. But the day is coming when we will live in the midst of perfect righteousness, surrounded by the Light of the Lamb and enjoying the constant outpouring of Your blessings. I long for that day. I long for Your Son's return. May I fall increasingly out of love with this world and more in love with the idea of His return. Yes, Lord Jesus, come! Amen