“And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem coming down from God of heaven, like a bride beautifully dressed. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying “Look, God’s home is now among His people! He will be with them and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them.” (Revelation 21:3 NLT)
Our Brenham house isn’t quite ready. We’ve been waiting and our anticipation is building. We get bits of information about the developments of the structure we’ll soon call home and our excitement grows. We drive by on the way to and from school and we dream aloud about what it might be like to live there. As Thoresons, we long for our little cottage to be finished and for move-in day to be upon us.
We sang this chorus in worship last night:
“Like a bride waiting for her groom, we’ll be a church ready for You. Every heart longing for our King, we sing, even so come, Lord Jesus come.”
The lyrics left me thinking about the powerful force of anticipation. As we wait for a phone call, Christ waits for us. We want a place of permanence, a patch of earth to put down roots, a home to establish rhythms of work and rest and connection. That pull we feel for Home is so much bigger than studs and drywall and a roof over our heads. The pull is for a Person, not a place, a relationship not a geographical location.
What if all our waiting in this life is intentional? What if the Lord leaves time on the clock so we can turn toward Him? What if every phone hold, every single file line and every contractor delay is designed to ignite our hearts just a bit more for His second coming? What if these perceived lost moments add up to opportunity to turn our thoughts and desires toward eternity? We wait here but we won’t wait there; we will be enfolded into perfect love forever. We will be transformed, fulfilled and treasured always.
“Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return.” (James 5:7 NLT)
Lord, may all our waiting only serve to build up our longing for You. We look toward eternity with joyful anticipation. Amen.