Out For Delivery

“And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” (Isa 25:9 AV)

It is said that good things come to those who wait.  However, waiting is very difficult.  Especially if you know for what you wait.  When we know that for which we wait is certain to come, then we are filled with both joy and frustration all at the same time.  Jesus is coming back!  Even if not in our lifetime, we do have a funeral to look forward to.  Our own!  One way or another, this world will be left to those who follow.  We will not be here forever.  At least in the state in which we exist today.  There is coming a day when all that which we endure will be over.  We will sit by the river of life and enjoy to the face-to-face presence of our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ.   We will sit by the tree of life and minister to the needs of one another by fellowship and brotherly love.  There are pleasures forevermore in the presence of God and His glory.  In the meantime, we wait.  We wait with bated breath for the coming of our LORD or the trumpet of our homegoing.  Either way, we wait.

More and more we are shopping for what we need online.  We go to Amazon, eBay, or some other online retailer and browse without having to deal with other people, long lines, messy stores, or confusion at the checkout.  We sit in the comfort of our homes and click away on our computers or phones.  We do the best we can in selecting our wants and proceed to our shopping cart.  We verify the shipping and billing information and then click “submit order”.  Then the waiting starts.  We get an email when the order has been processed.  We get another when it has shipped.  If you are like me, you have an app for FEDEX and USPS to track your package.  Some even have the automatic notifications turned on.  You get texts or emails with the process of your package.  We have noticed a pattern.  We know that if our app says our package is out for delivery and should arrive that day, it is usually the next day when it shows up.  We can go online and look at the progress of our package.  We see when a label was created.  When it was picked up by the shipper.  When it left the airport.  When it arrived at the airport.  When it was scanned in at the processing center.  When it was scanned out and into the delivery truck. And finally, when it was scanned as it was left on our front porch.  We watch the details of our package like a hawk.  Every day we get a little more excited.  If weather intervenes, we get frustrated.  If labor shortages cog up the process, we get upset.  We know it is coming and it should have been here immediately.

This is how we should feel the closer we get to our homegoing.  We should desire the presence of our LORD and Savior like no other desire.  No other desire or need should even be a close second.  The words above are words of hope.  No matter the situation, it will not be permanent.  Our future is coming.  Our LORD is returning.  All the fuss this rebellious world is throwing at a God whom the hate will not last long.  This too shall pass.  Like God send a global flood to end all rebellious life on Earth, the wrath of His coming is sure to do the same.  He is our God of salvation.  There is a future and it is not here.  There is a New Jerusalem whose glory cannot be comprehended.  There is a Father and Son who occupy the throne of glory whose brightness of His being will outshine the sun.  He is our God of salvation.  He will not leave us here forever.  There is coming a day when no heartache shall come, no more clouds in the sky, no more tears to dim the eye.  And forever we shall be, with the one who died for me.  What a day, glorious day, that will be.