To See Clearly

2 Peter 3:8-9 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
 
PETER continued to assure the church Jesus will return. This may be one the apostle’s most quoted teachings.
   We need assurance, don’t we? Even though we believe God’s timetable is much different than ours, we may not be pleased about that. Why should God wait to come back? We need to be free of this world’s trouble. Why does he wait to heal? Why does he wait to resolve broken emotions? What is his purpose to linger while we struggle through persecution, sorrow and despair? To the suffering mind a day can seem like a thousand years. Is he slow to keep his promise? Or is he patiently awaiting the time when his will is fulfilled on earth?
   This is Peter’s great assurance to the persecuted church. They may be suffering, impatient that Jesus has not returned. But then Peter teaches something very important they should know and even celebrate with joy! God is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
   Why is God waiting to send Jesus? Recall 1 Peter 1:1-2 To God's elect…2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood. God has elected all who are to be in his church. If he had come any time before your birth, you would not exist to spend eternity in heaven. God has elected people to be born and to be born again. His will is to bring each elected person into the world, so each will be saved into heaven. His patience to allow the world to suffer in evil is for the greater purpose to save his elect into heaven.
   Remember, we pray “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This is to be a prayer of submission and obedience. And when we petition the Lord for our desires and needs, we faithfully submit to his answers in his time and in his will.
   Be assured. God will bring his church into heaven’s glory when his ordained time is completed. Jesus’ teachings n the gospels and Peter’s, Paul’s and John’s epistles give us a picture of this new creation God has planned.  
   God has ordained it, and it will be. How are we to respond? Peter tells us next.