"The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance."
(2 Peter 3:9)
"Jesus is coming soon!" It's a slogan we see and hear in and around Christian circles. The "2nd Coming" of Christ is something Christians over the ages have been anticipating - when Jesus will "return" to earth to usher in the End of the Age, and humankind, as we know it, will come to an end. (Personally, I really enjoy "this life" and am not too eager to see it end!) But just as the early Christians noted, Jesus hasn't returned... yet. This led some to question whether he would actually return or not, since it hadn't corresponded to a timetable anyone expected.
The author of 2 Peter confronts this quandary directly. "With the Lord, one day is like one thousand years and one thousand years is like one day!" Stop thinking in human time frames, we're told. God isn't "slow" in coming. We just can't see the Big Picture like God can.
But what does it matter "when" Jesus returns? This passage says it's all about grace - giving people more time to come to repentance. God wants everyone to be able to come into a relationship with Him - a life-changing, eternal relationship. Maybe instead of speculating "when" Jesus will return, we should be more concerned about connecting people to God! It's not about us at all. It's about grace!
Prayer: Your time is what matters, Lord. Your grace is what it's all about. Help me not to get too caught up on the "when" of your return... but rather the "why"... with as many people as are interested!
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