Word of Encouragement (12/29/2021)
He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Rev. 22:20)
As the last prayer of Revelation and the entire Bible, it expresses our deepest longing. The answer to this prayer is the only thing that will satisfy all our desires and make everything right. Is that true for you? Does this express your deepest longing?
I must say that this was one of the hardest challenges for me as a new and young Christian. I could say that I was no longer the same person after I became a Christian. When I realized how great a sinner I was in the sight of God and what Christ had done for me for my salvation, I felt so sorry for my sins and so grateful to Christ for His sacrificial love for me. Only after Christ lifted the burden of my sin did I realize how heavy it was and how much it weighed me down. I couldn’t believe why He should love me so much when I didn’t even know and care anything about Him. I was amazed by His love and I desired to worship Him and serve Him.
But I didn’t want Him to return. At least, not soon.
As I look back, there were two main reasons. The first was my attachment to this world. I was 16 when I got converted. I felt like I was too young to say goodbye to this world and enter heaven. I believed that heaven was a wonderful place but there was so much in this life that I had not experienced that I wanted to. I knew I had to pray for Christ’s return. I prayed the Lord’s Prayer regularly in worship and prayer meetings. But I must confess that I wasn’t sincere when I prayed for Christ’s Second Coming. I thought heaven could wait while I lived out my life here on earth.
This was due to my ignorance about the world and heaven. I viewed what the world could offer me too highly. There was no guarantee that I could have any of the things that were highly valued in the world, of course. I knew that many of them were out of my reach. As an immigrant, I didn’t know whether I could ever be part of mainstream America, whatever that was. At that time, I took what I saw on TV as what “real America” was. Feeling marginalized was deeply upsetting to me, especially as a teenager. It also made whatever was out of my reach all the more desirable just because it seemed out of reach.
But over the years I have come to realize that the treasures of this world cast a long shadow called Disappointment. They look much better from afar than up-close. No sooner do I obtain them than I desire something better. They are like saltwater: instead of quenching my thirst, they make me thirstier. How foolish it was for me to cherish the treasures of this world—and, in many cases, just a mere hope of getting them, or a mere chance to go after them like buying a lottery ticket—more than the certainty of God’s promise!
And I’m more and more convinced that, in heaven, we will not be heartbroken about what we missed out in this life. Our God is too gracious not to more than make up for our loss in this world. Not that we will get in heaven what we missed on earth. I’m not saying that, if we did not get married in this life, for example, we will get married to someone in heaven. Instead, we will get the true and full substance of what the earthly marriage pointed to in all of its imperfections—the eternal, spiritual joy of being united with Christ forever in perfect love. Our joy in heaven will be too complete and satisfying to make us upset that we didn’t have more in this life.
As the world loses its allure and heaven grows in its attraction, how I value the prospect of Christ’s return more and more! I’m grateful that I can pray with earnestness, “Come, Lord Jesus!” I hope you can, too, especially as we see another year draws to a close and the time of His return draws closer.