The Look Out

Matthew 24:42 – Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. (NIV)

When I take my horse, Frank, out for a buggy ride or a walk with my two-year-old granddaughter perched in the saddle, my goat, Marshall, has a habit. He climbs atop his jungle gym, and standing on the platform, he waits and watches for his friend, Frank, to come home. Marshall has no idea how long we may be gone. It could be a short time or it could be most of the day, depending upon our plans. Nevertheless, he stands or lies down and waits, ever watchful of the driveway gate which he knows that Frank will enter sooner or later.

Likewise, Jesus has promised that He, too, will return.

John 14:1-3 – Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (NIV)

We do not know the time or the day or the season, but a promise is a promise when it comes from God. It cannot be broken, and thus, we can count on it with certainty. But can God count on us to be ready and watching and waiting for Him? Is our life, first and foremost, based upon our relationship with Christ and our desire to live for Him at all times, in all ways? Or are we so caught up in the things of this world — our family, our jobs, our hobbies, our friends, our responsibilities, our worries, and our cares — that we are no longer looking out with hope and expectation for the coming of our Lord?

Jesus understands that we all have a life to live here. So much of what we do is important and demands our time and energy, but so does He. So, let us not forget to keep watching and waiting in joy and expectation, for He is coming again. We know not the day nor the hour, but we do know that a promise is a promise. What a wondrous and glorious day that will be when we see Him coming for His own — the faithful who are watching and waiting.

Prayer: Father God, You have placed us here on earth to be in the world but not of the world. Help us by Your grace and mercy to keep our relationship with Jesus Christ first and foremost in our everyday lives, that we might be found faithfully waiting and watching on that great day of His return. In Christ's name, we ask. Amen.