Could You Wait One Hour?

When Jesus said He was coming back soon, more than likely His disciples and followers took that literally. They had seen Jesus. They had seen Him live and die and rise again. They had seen Him return, and they lived expecting that He could return again at any moment.  Soon. He said soon. And they made sure to live as blameless as possible because His return could be any minute.

But time went on.

And how impatient did the church get through time! How tired of waiting did we get!

Since the time of Jesus’ departure, we’ve only grown more and more lax in our Christian walk because maybe “soon” isn’t in our lifetime. After all, it’s been 2000 years. Surely, He couldn’t have meant that soon.

But our laxness in our faith has caused the church to fall.

Wake Up

The night before Christ’s crucifixion, Jesus asked His disciples to wait for Him while He stepped away to pray. Wait for Him. Just as we are to wait for His return.

But what did the disciples do? They fell asleep!

“Could you not watch with Me one hour?” Jesus asked.

So again, he asked them to wait with Him. Yet, again they fell asleep!

One hour! They couldn’t even wait one hour, and they were with Him!

The disciples fell asleep in their wait. And the church has fallen asleep in theirs.

“Then He said to them, ‘Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.’” – Luke 22:46

It is time for the church to wake up, rise up, and pray, or else fall into the sins of this world.

Be Ready

If the span of time between the death and resurrection of Christ was only three days, more than likely Jesus’ followers expected His return of “soon” to be pretty similar to that. Their spiritual bags were packed and ready to go. No wonder the early day church was filled with so much of the Holy Spirit’s power. They were ready for His return at any moment.

When a woman is pregnant, she typically has about nine months to prepare. The nursery is usually mostly finished by the last trimester. The hospital bags are usually packed by that last month. And as that due date gets closer and closer, she only gets more and more ready. Soon. It could be any minute.

But sometimes that baby comes early, and she’s not ready.

Man is always trying to get the time frames down. But God does not operate on our time.

So what do you think will happen if you ease up on Jesus’ definition of “soon”? What do you think will happen if you relax in your faith, take a break, or fall asleep, and He shows up? What if you’re not ready?

Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. – Matthew 24:44

To the End of the Earth

But let’s not be so condemning, right? Perhaps you truly are ready. Perhaps you are longing for that day to see Him in the clouds again. Then again, perhaps your head is too much in the clouds. Did not the angels question why the people still gazed up at the heavens?

Be ready, yes. But remember there is more to our purpose on earth. It is not only about our salvation but the salvation of others.

“And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” – Acts 1:7-8

It is not for us to know when He will return. We were not left here to anticipate His return. We were instead given the mission while we are still here to use the power within us to witness to the world the glory of Christ.

We cannot grow lax in our faith. The Lord has said He is coming quickly. And what faith do we even have if we begin to doubt?

He is coming quickly. Wake up. Be ready. And make sure those around you are ready.

For “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’” – Revelations 22:20