The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV).
So here we are again: the United States in the middle of a legally contested presidential election. For the second time this century, courts are being involved in deciding the final counts of votes that will determine who wins the presidency. Whoever wins may win a pyrrhic victory. Without diving deeper into the politics of the whole thing, let’s state this: it’s something worth fighting for. Both sides seem to agree on that.
You know who else believes we’re worth fighting for? Jesus. God. The great I AM. He arranged all of ancient history to reach its culminating moment on Easter Sunday. Since that morning, God has patiently waited to end this world and replace it with the sinless one in which He will once again walk among us without touching on sin. A while back, I mentioned that my friend, Pastor Mark, once told me that he didn’t think the world would end soon because he didn’t see how the Gospel had been preached to all peoples. There were still many who hadn’t been told about Jesus.
Peter might agree with that; I know I do. Indeed, Peter’s verse here reminds us that God patiently wants EVERYONE to come to repentance. He wants every person on this planet, all 7.7 billion of us, to intimately know Him through His Son, Jesus. He wants every person here to experience faith in Him, to be saved from the eternal consequences of our sins. That’s everyone, even Democrats and Republicans, even Muslims, even pagans, even atheists. Jesus wants to be able to hug every single person He created here to tell them “well done, good and faithful servant” when we reach Him in eternity.
And make no mistake: we will all face Him. I honestly hope His patience extends beyond our understanding of His word. Like my friend Pastor Vern, I honestly hope that Christ’s desire for all of us to know Him means He has ways of that happening that we simply can’t comprehend. That His love, like life itself, finds a way when humanity couldn’t. Yet if that is not how things work out, then we need to remember how God promised, that when this world ends, we will meet Him to answer for all we’ve done.
Thanks be to Him for His mercy in that. Thank God for Jesus, for Him doing what I can’t, and you can’t. Thankfully He is patient; thankfully, Jesus believes we’re worth fighting for. One day, all of us will meet Him, even those running for president.
For further reading: Isaiah 34:4, Luke 12:39, 2 Thessalonians 1:7, Hebrews 12:27, Revelation 21:1, 2 Peter 3:10
Lord Jesus, have mercy on we sinners. All thanks and praise to You for Your loving patience.
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Practical Proverbs 