Reunited
I’ve had a lonely week. Right now my wife is in California, visiting her family. Her sister just had a baby girl, so of course she’s been dying to get over there to meet her. But although she’s only been gone a week, and she’s coming home very soon, I’m shocked at how much I’ve missed her! I guess I’m so used to her constant presence that I didn’t expect what it would be like when she’s gone. I’m surviving, but I can’t wait for her to come home.
But as much as I can’t wait for my wife to come back from California, how much more should we as Adventists be longing for the return of our Lord? In John 14:3, Jesus told His disciples that He is preparing a place for us, and that He will come again and bring us home to be with Him. Supposedly as Seventh-day Adventists, this is a huge part of our beliefs. It’s even in our name. We call it the Great Hope. Yet how many of us are really living in anticipation, and longing for that day? Sometimes it seems like we look forward more to the next season of our favorite show than we do to His coming.
Perhaps our indifference is a symptom of the fact that the 2nd coming doesn’t actually seem real to us. It is a doctrine we ascribe to, but not our living reality. We can check off the box, “I believe that Jesus is coming soon,” but the hope is not burning in our hearts. I know this isn’t the case for every Seventh-day Adventist, but it is sadly true of many of us.
Maybe we don’t long for Jesus to return because we don’t miss Him that much. I miss my wife because her love is real and tangible to me. I miss seeing her face, being greeted by her when I come home, holding her, even just being around her. I miss her because I love her and I know she loves me. Is the love of Jesus real to you? Do you enjoy spending time in His presence? Because the reality is that His love is greater and more real than the love of your spouse, your children, your best friend, and even your parents. It is objectively real, but we must experience it in order for it to be real to us. The more we dwell on Him in His beauty, the more we will drink deeply of His everlasting love. And that will awaken love in our hearts for Him. A favorite phrase of Sister White’s is that Jesus should be first and last and best in everything. He should be the ultimate desire of our hearts. I believe if that were our experience, we would have that longing to be reunited with Him.
Of all the people in history, even out of the writers of the Bible, few understood the love of Jesus like the apostle John. And few looked forward to the coming of Jesus with greater yearning than he did. He closed the book of Revelation with these words, “He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20). I pray that John’s response to Jesus will also be the cry of our hearts. And I pray that each of us will receive the crown that will be given on that Day to all who have loved His appearing.
In 2014, God rescued Christian out of the pit of addiction and folly when he was in his second year at university. After experiencing such powerful miracles, Christian was finally ready to accept Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and to follow Him day by day. And life has never been better since! Currently, Christian is finding joy and purpose as a youth pastor for the Dallas Fort Worth Korean church, a theology student at Southwestern, and a husband to his lovely wife, Esther.