waiting with certainty in Jesus

For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10

Today ends over seven weeks of reading through the Bible to research and understand what it means to “wait on the Lord”. I began this personal journey in the Word well aware that God has sovereignly placed me in a new season of transformative waiting. I have been greatly encouraged to keep waiting, blessed by a flood of understandings and insights daily that the Holy Spirit has led me to experience. I have learned to embrace, love, learn from, and welcome the waiting! This final passage makes a good capstone for all of the lessons learned.

I’ve noticed how in the Old Testament waiting is heavily influenced by the hope of salvation. It is about God being Savior and His people patiently awaiting, crying out for a salvation yet to come. This makes sense because the wait was for Jesus to come to earth and to save us. There are episodes of waiting for God to judge in the Old Testament as well, but the judgment is often a “saving” judgment where the hope is that God will rescue His people and bring justice in their situation. Jesus does all that!

New Testament waiting, as shown so clearly in this passage, is more eschatological. It is future focused on the final picture of the redemptive story. We wait for God to have His day. We wait for a future glory. And that focus is also squarely on Jesus. Because we have a Savior we can confidently wait. The Thessalonian believers had turned to God by faith in Christ, forsaking the vain, false hope of idolatry for a living Savior. And they waited for this risen Savior… for Jesus… to keep delivering them. This wait is ultimately for a final deliverance Jesus gives from the final Judgment of God. This is the living hope that Jesus gives every Christian.

Lord Jesus,

All my waiting is in You, for You. You deliver me from sin and demolish my worthless trust in idols. Some idols have been torn from my heart these past six months. Thank You for using this season as Your good work in me. You keep me now as I serve You. You are my hope, Risen Son! You deliver me. You will lead me as I wait. You will show me how to serve until I am in Your presence. You will keep me, bring me into Your Kingdom, provide all my heart truly needs right now, and rule me with Your love!

Amen