While We Wait

TRUTH IS, I’ve lived a lot of years. Nearly a biblical lifetime. Every September I celebrate another birthday if I want to or not. I believe I finally reconciled the frustration of aging when I read something about the blessing of not dying young. So, I’m grateful.
Recently, I waited with an intensity that nearly took away my breath. I tried to imagine the immediate reality of Jesus’ actual appearance to rapture me to glory this fall. Though it felt crazy, I prepared to make sure Smoky, our yearling pup, and three-month-old Snickers wouldn’t starve to death in their kennels when we disappeared from this earth.
The need to keep them in kennels at night and often during the day happened the first week of September when Smoky discovered a rabid bat in our backyard. Though we saw no contact between the bat and the pups, the health department quarantined them. That meant no contact with each other or any humans besides us for up to four months. This tough challenge suddenly made life very restricted for us, our pups, and for our eight little grandchildren who delight in these darling Havanese.
One morning I felt especially weary and feared a miscalculation of the immediacy of Christ’s return. I opened my Bible, and the Lord met me with these words,

Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you’ (Isaiah 35:3-4).

Recent studies and a great number of Bible teachers and “watchers” testify to the growing immediacy of Christ’s return. While they did not set exact dates, hope rode high for a September 2017 snatch. September passed without His glorious appearing, and my spirits sagged.
I’m still passionate about the reality of the harpazo (rapture) prophesied in 1Thessalonians 4:13-18. Speaking to the Jews about His second coming (not the Rapture), Jesus says, “Suppose that servant says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time’” (Mt 24:48). He also tells us “The bridegroom took a long time in coming (Mt 25:5), and in the story of the talents He says, “After a long time the master of those servants returned” (Mt 25:19).
The Lord will indeed come to rapture His Bride and also come again to set up His millennial kingdom but in His time. According to these passages, He also holds us accountable for our response during the wait. My disappointment taught me that if I know the day and hour, my life stops. Why dust my furniture, make doctors’ appointments, or plan anything beyond that date? Once the time passed, I felt a sense of relief from the intensity of the wait to go back to a more familiar mind frame of worldly denial where Jesus is coming back “someday” in some ethereal, distant unreality. Not good thinking!
The delay also means I need to buckle down and embrace my restrictions and responsibilities whether I want to or not. Once again endurance and perseverance came into play. I so wanted to be done! Done fighting with my old nature, done with my responsibilities, done with the daily grind, and done with the intensity to keep the pups apart. I did not welcome this additional time to wait.
God still offers me another opportunity to trust His grace and mercy. Another chance to do all things through Christ who strengthens me. He continues to walk with me through this earth place day by day. Not the calendar, blood moons, a darkened sun, nor hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, bloody massacres, firestorms, wars, nor rumors of wars ever change Him, His intense love, or the truth of His promises.
Today I listened to songs on Youtube that reminded me of God’s faithfulness over the years. Throughout my life, God always provided something to challenge, test, and grow my faith. The Lord also gives me a choice. I can resist and get angry over growing pains, or I can thank God I’m alive enough to feel them and that He will use them for my good and His glory.
Our puppy snuggles next to me. I love to touch his soft, silky fur and feel his warm little body next to me. I thank God for him, for the sun that still shines through my windows, for God’s grace, mercy, and love that constantly fill and renew me for yet another earth day.
John tells us that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it (Jn 1:5). No matter how hard life becomes or what disappointments come our way, they will never possess enough power to snuff out God’s light, the truth of His Word, and the love of His heart.

Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2Cor 4:15-17).