Verse: 2 Peter 3:3-9
3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

8 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. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Devotion
I hate waiting. Waiting in traffic. Waiting on hold. Waiting in line. I hate it all. Yesterday I called our health insurance. At the end of the call I looked at the time on my phone. It was 45 minutes. Most of it spent waiting. Unreal. I hate waiting.

But here’s the thing—I will wait for stuff if I think it’s worth it. Recently I went to Orlando to visit Universal Studios. I waited in line multiple times that day because riding the rides was worth it! Last year a friend with season tickets took me the Eagles NCF Championship game. We waited in traffic for OVER AND HOURbut it was worth it!

The first few verses above name the tension we feel about Jesus not returning. He’s told us he will return and make all things right, but we are waiting. Peter names the tension—in his case, people mocking him, “where is your God?” We may face similar tension with people questioning our faith, or even ridiculing our faith, or saying its even “backwards” or “dangerous.” Or we may face those voices internally—staring down doubts about our own faith.

But the last two verses give us a window into why we wait. Namely, because God himself is waiting. And just like we will wait when the end reward is worth it, God is waiting because people are worth it. God is waiting because his love for us moves him to wait. He is patient, waiting, so that more people will come to repentance. What we feel is slow, is actually God’s patience. Didn’t someone famous once say, “You Can’t Hurry Love?” Well, I think they may have gotten that from God.

So in the tension, whether internal or external, we can hold onto hope that God hasn’t forsaken us, abandoned us, or forgotten about us. Rather, the same love that drove him to the cross, now moves him to wait. The same love that saved you, is waiting patiently for others to come to repentance. And that, my friends, is worth waiting for.

Author: Christian Dunn