Everyone loves an epic farewell —
- When cowboys ride off into the sunset.
- When Frodo sails away with Gandalf and the elves to the Undying Lands.
- When Bruce Willis blows himself up with the asteroid to save the world in Armageddon.
There is just something beautiful and lasting about ending the right way. And without it, that longing for completion and our desire for satisfaction becomes so wrapped around the axel that the angst is almost crippling! We are wired for resolution.
Have you ever noticed how the Bible ends?
Now just to remind you: The Bible is made up of 66 books, written by 40 different authors, covering 1400 years. All that to say, when we’re considering how impressive the scriptures are, we should be expecting quite the farewell.
Right before the apostle John concludes the final book with a brief salutation, he ends the Bible with a short and simple prayer: “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20)
Think about this. Of all the different ways God’s Word could’ve concluded—with the perfect advice for a healthy marriage, by giving us the secret sauce to parenting, by telling us what’s really going on with the Illuminati—instead, it ends with a prayer for Jesus’ return. And I think that’s actually the most epic farewell ever!
The reason is, it holds us until Heaven.
We know our completion won’t be experienced until the Kingdom arrives in full. Our life is meant to be marked by a hopeful expectation. However, while we wait, we wait well by praying Jesus would return soon. We look up and pray for Jesus to come down. We endure the world going bonkers because we know the King is coming.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t pray for Jesus to return all that often. My prayers are usually a result of whatever is most urgent for the day. But get this, I’m pretty sure the apostle John would say the exact same thing about his prayers. The difference is Jesus’ return was the most urgent need for the day! What John most passionately wanted was Jesus to come back.
I wonder if we struggle to regularly pray for Jesus’ return because we don’t really care if He returns soon. Amidst all the things we want to experience before we die—travel, marriage, kids, fortune, etc.—we’re more focused on enjoying the wait instead of hastening the wait.
We need a wake-up call!
Things will be so much better when Jesus returns. Every hurt will be healed. Every wrong will be righted. Every need will be met. It will be the fullness of joy evermore. The most urgent need we all have is for Christ to come back. Because when He finally does, that longing for resolution will be eternally met. Our farewell from death into life will be a doorway into our forever.
So, this morning, start where the Bible ends. Pray with John into our most pressing need:
“Come, Lord Jesus. Would you return today?”
