Last Lord’s Day I was full of gladness while we sang “Glorious Day.” The lyrics, the instrumentation, and the strong singing of the church, caused me both to enjoy the moment and to wish I could be done with it. More specifically, I longed to be done with the battle and the blasphemy all around us and the body pains and to be home in the presence of the Lord. That will be a glorious day.
Waiting on the Lord takes a while. The testing of our faith means not just that things are hard, but that we have a hard time holding faith through them. Heaviness increases our longing for heaven as it threatens to cause us to lose heart.
It is not only okay, it is good for believers to rejoice in a future day. I suppose we could get caught up dreaming of personal vindication in a way to escape our present calling. But hope in the fulfillment of God’s promises doesn’t alleviate us from our manifold responsibilities, hope informs our responsibilities, giving us a target and giving us food.
Jesus wants us to think about the future just as much as He wants us to think about the past. Communion is no good without the cross, and communion is no good without His coming. This is why He said, “as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” He also says His coming will be like a thief, and that the #blessed are the ones who are ready for it.
Beloved, eat the bread and drink the wine and stay awake for His return. It’s right to look around and ahead.