A Candle of Patience

Luke 17:20-21 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

Triune God,

Throughout the centuries, those who worship You have longed for You to appear in their lives.  The Hebrews longed for a promised Messiah to come and crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). But the wait was long.  Even then, the serpent struck at Your heel, Son of God.  

Waiting.  

William Barclay said, "Light a candle of patience and wait. God takes His own time."  For 2000 years since Your ascension to the Father, we have waited.  While waiting, some have become weary; others have given up; still others have developed elaborate theories of the timing of Your return.  

I don't like waiting.  You made me with an inner clock that says "NOW!"  I believe that You are returning, but the wait is excruciating!

Then, I see a phrase of scripture that blows my mind.  "For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."  While I wait for You to return, You are already here.  You are present in my waiting, yet You are returning!  The paradox of Your Presence is found in the reality of Your indwelling Holy Spirit living within me... us... Your Church!  Thank You, Jesus.

Perhaps Your abiding Holy Spirit, living within me, intensifies the longing for Your return.  So even as You demand that I wait, the Spirit within creates an intense longing for You that cries out in earnest prayer, "Hurry up!  Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly!"  

A candle of patience.

Waiting for a revolution! Waiting for You to return and make all things new. "That is to say, the kingdom of God works in men's hearts; it is to produce not new things, but new people. It is not a revolution in material things that we are to look for, but a revolution in the hearts of men" (Barclay in The Gospel of Luke, 1953, p. 229). 

So, I light my candle of patience.  I wait, not with folded hands and upturned gaze, but with an eager heart, earnest evangelism, and passionate zeal to help others prepare for Your return.  I transform the NOW of waiting into the NOW of preparation. "Behold, now is the day of salvation" (II Corinthians 6:2).

Protect me from the extremes of weariness or control.  Weariness gives up.  Control develops elaborate eschatological schemes, which often twist and distort Scripture, to time Your return according to my agenda and interpretation.  

A candle of patience.

So, I wait... and pray.  "Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly."

In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost who are in control,

Amen.