Examine Future Expectations
A friend told me he prays every day for Jesus to return. “Come quickly, Lord Jesus.” Yes, every day. His imperative words emoted sincerity and passion. He meant it; he really meant it.
Upon hearing this, two thoughts simultaneously bombarded my mind.
The first was the realization that I have never prayed that prayer, not even once. Why not?
The second was that I was sure it was biblical, even as my brain scrambled to recall the passage. Where does Scripture say, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus”? Was it a command to obey or a description of what someone did?
Biblical Support
Praying “Come quickly, Lord Jesus” seems like something Paul might say or do, but did he? Or perhaps Jesus told his followers to pray for his quick return. But I couldn’t recall that passage either.
I thought a simple Bible search would quickly reveal the source, give me the precise wording, and a passage to dig into. I was wrong. I couldn’t find that idea anywhere in the Bible.
The closest was in the book of Revelation where Jesus says, “Yes, I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:20). But in this case, it’s a promise and not a prayer.
In the Old Testament we do see the request to come quickly in the Psalms. But these are imperative petitions for God’s help in dealing with pressing problems here on earth.
Plan Intentionally
With Jesus’s return we will push past the pain of life and move into the bliss of eternity in heaven with our Creator and Savior. What a glorious day that will be.
And if he delays his return, we’ll still realize the same outcome when we die. That will be glorious too.
While I see the appeal of moving into the afterlife (2 Peter 3:13), I don’t want to rush past my present life. God has given me much to accomplish, and I have much to anticipate in what time I have left. I want to make the most of my life here.
Whether my remaining time on earth is one day or decades, I will still spend eternity in heaven.
Even though that future will be far preferable, diminishing my present reality, I don’t want to rush through my time here; I want to make the most of it. My Lord deserves nothing less from me.
So I choose to live my life with that long-term perspective. I plan for tomorrow and for next year and for the decades after that. I don’t want to coast toward the finish line.
Instead, I want to cross it charging as fast as I can. I will strive to complete all that my Lord has called me to do.
I want to run my race with perseverance (Hebrews 12:1) and to obtain the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24). This is why I plan my future with intention.
Live Expectantly
Yet I balance my future focus and earthly plans with the tension of living in expectation that Jesus could return at any moment. When he does, I want to be ready and waiting. I don’t want to leave anything unfinished.
Therefore, I hold my plans loosely (James 4:13-15 and Proverbs 27:1).
Pray Strategically
There’s certainly nothing wrong in praying “Come quickly, Lord Jesus.” I’ve heard many people do just that over the years. It’s an acknowledgment that a better future awaits us as children of God.
I get that and don’t want to disparage my friend for his sincere, heart-felt prayer. But God is patient and doesn’t want anyone to perish; he wants everyone to repent (2 Peter 3:9). This requires more time, to delay his arrival.
So instead of praying for Jesus’s quick return, here’s an even better idea. The end of this age will not happen until the whole world has heard about the gospel (Matthew 24:14).
Therefore, we start by praying for all the nations to hear the good news of Jesus.
The culmination of this occurs with the salvation of the Jewish people (Romans 11:25-29). God’s chosen people will be graphed back into God’s tree, just as all Gentiles were first graphed to it (Romans 11:11-24).
So before Jesus can return—before our prayers of “Come quickly, Lord Jesus” will be answered—all the nations must hear about him, and the Jewish people will turn to him.
I yearn for this. We all should.
When we pray strategically for everyone in the world to hear about Jesus and for his own people to return to him, this fulfills the prerequisites for Jesus’s return.
Then we can all say, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus.”
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.
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