Sunday March 20, 2022

Then those who feared the Eternal spoke to one another ; The Eternal was attentive, and he listened ; And a book of remembrance was written before him for those who fear the Eternal and honor his name. They shall be mine, saith the Eternal of hosts ; they shall be mine, on the day which I prepare ; I will have compassion on them, as a man has compassion on his son who serves him. Malachi 3. 16, 17

Waiting on the Lord

At the very end of the Bible we hear a very short last prayer. The Church, through the Spirit, cries out : "Come !" And the Lord Jesus answers : “Yes, I am coming soon” (Revelation 22. 17, 20). The return of the Lord to take up his own to heaven, before a period of judgments for the whole world, is the hope of the Church, the whole of all Christians (Titus 2.13).

The prophets had announced the coming of the Messiah a very long time in advance, but for several centuries, there was a kind of silence from God : no more prophets. A majority of the people of Israel had abandoned the purity of the faith, but there remained a small core of faithful who awaited their Messiah. They were "those who fear the Lord..." and whom God calls "my special treasure". They benefit from his love and care. The wait has been long, but at God's appointed time, the Messiah is coming ! When, as a small child, Jesus is brought by his parents to the temple in Jerusalem, he is greeted by two elderly people, Simeon and Anna, who were waiting for the “consolation of Israel” (Luke 2. 25, 38).

From the moment the Lord said he would return, long centuries have passed, but his promise is still there, it will be fulfilled. As he appeared one day in Bethlehem, one day he will return !

Are we among those who are waiting for him and thinking of him ? Shouldn't we live each day in this expectation and encourage each other, remembering what Jesus said : “I will come back and take you with me” (John 14:3) ?

Source (The Good Seed)