He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20, ESV)
The news is very hard to watch these days. In fact, I watch very little of it. It’s not been a conscious effort- I simply find myself having no desire to watch. I’ll admit the sadness and discouragement of what’s happening in our world makes me want to mimic the proverbial ostrich and stick my head in the sand.
Where do I start? Cultural decay, political strife, hurricane devastation in Puerto Rico, and most recently, the horrible loss of life in the senseless shooting in Las Vegas. It’s hard to process all the pain and suffering. In addition to this, members of our own church family are going through times of great pain and suffering. To even further add to the burden, there are personal concerns that weigh us down. It makes us want to say with the Psalmist, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; (Psalm 55:6)
This makes the Apostle John’s vision in Revelation and the closing words of that book more poignant. John responds to Jesus’ promise to return again by saying, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” We echo those words.
Revelation gives us the preview of what’s to come:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:1-4)
That’s what we long for. Think of that time to come when it will be impossible to be sad, fearful, or anxious. That’s the promise we are given and the hope that we have. Until then, we pray to live as the people of God offering this hope to a world that needs it and placing our trust in the One who gives us this promise.
In days like these we indeed say with the Apostle John, “Come, Lord Jesus!”