Waiting

Devotions on 2 Peter 3:1-10, 17-18

Monday–Waiting

“This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you; in them I am trying to arouse your sincere intention by reminding you ….” (2 Peter 3:1).

How do you wait? Many people grab their cell phones and play the latest video games. Some pace, and others sit back and catch a quick cat nap. A few people attempt to make the wait time productive, while most are content to engage in any activity to simply pass the time.

The early church had a problem. Most Christians believed that Jesus would return at any moment. They were in a waiting mode. Some decided to idly wait and depend on the community of believers to supply their daily needs. Others decided to occupy their time with nefarious activities. Still others grew impatient and gave increasing consideration to arguments against the Christian faith.

The writer of Second Peter addresses the situation. He reminds his readers that though they wait for the future, they still live in the present. As children of God, they have been called and empowered to make what they wait for a reality. Seeking peace, they live as peacemakers. Desiring justice, they stand against injustice. They generously offer what they have been given to bring about equality and they move to include the marginalized and excluded.

Following the instructions of the writer and the example of many of the early Christians, we too act while we wait.

Lord, use us to bring about your kin-dom. Amen.

Tuesday–Waiting

“You should remember the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets, and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken through your apostles” (2 Peter 3:2).

For millennia the Lord has spoken to God’s children through both the Hebrew Scripture and the New Testament (and other holy books, also). People of faith have sought guidance, strength, encouragement, and hope through the words contained in them. Reading those ancient words, they have encountered a living God.

The writer to Second Peter reminds his readers—and us—of the powerful resource they have in Holy Scripture. The words of Scripture were able to speak to them when they faced persecution, as they struggled with temptations and when they wrestled with questions concerning Christ’s return.

Though centuries have passed, these words still speak to us. We do not approach these holy words in a haphazard or flippant manner. Rather we read them with open hearts and lives, repeating the words Eli instructed Samuel to say, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10).

Speak to us, Lord. We are listening. Amen.

Wednesday–Waiting

“First of all you must understand this, that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and indulging their own lusts” (2 Peter 3:3).

People outside of the church think Christians are a little crazy. After all, we get up early on Sunday mornings to worship, when they can sleep in. We give our money away to help others, while they can spend theirs on themselves. We listen to boring sermons or participate in study groups on Monday evenings. They can watch sporting events. There is no way that we can logically argue them into believing what we believe. And to be honest, sometimes their arguments make some sense.

As the writer warns, we need to be wary of such people and turn a deaf ear to their scoffing and arguments. It is also important for us to love them. With a spirit of coexistence, perhaps we can be their friends. When they are in need, we can help them. There are times when they will be depressed and discouraged. We can offer them encouragement and hope. We can be their listening ear or their shoulder to cry on. The Holy Spirit has given us an abundance of God’s grace and love to share with the people who don’t believe as we do.

One never knows … there may come a time when they might wonder what makes us so crazy.

Holy Spirit, may your rivers of living water flow through us and quench parched lives. Amen.

Thursday–Waiting

“They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago” (2 Peter 3:5).

Many Christians today live with a different perspective of God than that of the early Christians. They saw God beyond the physical world and waited for God to return and intervene in history. Today we see God in all of creation (panentheism). Our challenge is not to be patient in our waiting, but rather to be aware in our living.

Our perspective may be different, but our mission is the same. The Greek/Roman culture in which the early Christians lived saw life as unchanging. Life was a series of never-ending cycles. The gods rarely intervened to change things. Christians argued that God was involved in creation and would return to bring creation to its fulfillment.

Today people say that God is absent from creation—or maybe never existed. Creation is still a series of endless cycles. Or it is devolving into a global warming chaos. Christians proclaim that God is present in creation and that God is not idle. God’s Spirit is moving through God’s people. God’s love and grace is making a difference in the lives of people. There is even a growing awareness that some of that love needs to be shared with the earth and the other creatures in creation.

The words of Elizabeth Barrett Browning ring true: “Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God, But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”

Lord, open our eyes so that we may see. Open our ears so that we may hear. Open our mouths so that we can sing your praises. Open our hands so that we can share your blessings. Amen.

Friday–Waiting

“But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day” (2 Peter 3:8).

We’ve all been in the back seat of the car traveling to a distant destination. “Are we there yet?” we ask. Our parents respond and assure us that we will soon arrive. The seconds and minutes pass slowly, and we cry out is desperation, “Are we there yet?” The years pass and we find ourselves in the front seat of the car. Shortly after pulling out of the driveway, our children ask, “Are we there yet?” They repeat their question with each passing mile.

We are impatient people. The writer of Second Peter reminded his readers of this fact. The Lord doesn’t run on the same time clock that we do. The difference is made evident by our frequent questions, “Lord, why aren’t you answering our prayers?” or, “Lord, why aren’t you moving faster?”

Like our automobiles headed to those distant destinations, God is moving. We will arrive in good time. In our travels we can look out the window and be amazed at the wonders of creation. In our daily lives we can glance up from our personal predicaments and notice the needs of others. Seeing those needs, we can respond and share God’s love and grace.

Lord, calm our impatience and enable us to rest in the truth that you are moving. Amen.

Saturday–Waiting

“You therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, beware that you are not carried away with the error of the lawless and lose your own stability” (2 Peter 3:17).

There are those times when our world explodes, and all our plans implode. What do we do as faithful followers of Jesus? We panic. We worry. We despair. It appears to us as if our entire world has changed. There are, however, some unchangeable elements in our lives.

As we sit, like Job, in the ash heaps of our lives, we are still children of God. God’s love is unfailing, and God’s promise to always be with us is an ever-present reality. God is God and always will be God. And we live our lives in the reality of God’s realm.

Based on these unchanging truths we can regain our stability. We can declare along with the medieval mystic, Julian of Norwich, “‘… all shall be well, all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” And so, it shall be.

Lord, help us rest in you. Amen.

Sunday

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

Adopting a puppy is an experience. A cardboard box was fitted with old blankets or towels as sleeping quarters and home territory for the new family member. Over the months as the puppy grew, the box was replaced by bigger ones. Eventually there were sleeping pads that grew with the dog until it reached its full size. Growth and change were expected, and accommodation was made for the family dog.

When we were growing up in a congregation, God was presented to us in a box. The box was made of church creeds, sermons, and the Sunday school lessons. We were told how God acted, and what God liked and disliked. As we learned more and journeyed farther in our faith walks, we realized that God needed new and bigger boxes. Every time we built a new box for God, God would outgrow it. Eventually we gave up and stopped building boxes for God.

During all this time, God was not the one who changed. It was us. As we grew in grace and knowledge, our comprehension of God changed and grew. God became bigger, more loving, more forgiving, more accepting—Godlier. Our journey of faith doesn’t stop, and neither does growth and change. We kid ourselves if we ever think that we know everything there is to know about God. God is a mystery who always invites us to explore. For this we can give God thanks and praise.

Thank you, Lord, for being a God of mystery and surprises. Amen.