Our prayers should show that we long for the second coming of our Lord.
At the time Jesus said these words, very few people acknowledged Him as the King of Kings. They weren’t looking for someone to liberate them from sin; but from the Roman oppression!
Of course, we know Jesus is our King. But do we long for the time when He will come again? Or are we too busy indulging in our own selfish ambitions to want our Lord to return immediately? How often must God hear these words: “Not today, Lord. I want to get married first. Oh, and not tomorrow either, because I want to get my promotion. And don’t come next year! I want to have children first!” My friends, if you truly love Jesus, you will long for His soon return!
Besides expressing a longing desire for our Lord’s return, Jesus’ words serve as a warning: Will you be ready when Jesus comes back?
You may say, “Sure! I go to church every week!”
But does this assure you a place in heaven? Jesus addresses this problem in Matt. 7:21-23:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers.’”
The apostle Paul describes it like this:
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Rom. 14:17-19).
In summary, we need to be children of God, not just churchgoers. Before we can be ready for Jesus’ return, we need to have the Kingdom of God in our hearts. Otherwise, we belong to the group that fulfill the prophecy: “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold” (Matt 24:12). Wouldn’t you prefer to be among the other group of people? “Who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matt 24:13).
“Dear Papa, I am looking forward to your return. Please come back soon and take me home!”