Fiercely Waiting

“Very soon now, I shall be with you again . . . I am . . . the bright star of the morning.” – Revelation 22: 12, 16

Today’s passage comes from the very last chapter of the very last book of the Bible.

It’s strange—and striking—how the Bible ends. Not like a mystery, with the culprit revealed and the riddle solved. Not like a symphony or a musical with a grand finale. Not like a novel, with the main character or characters finding some resolution.

The Bible ends by not ending. It ends in anticipation. It ends with the faithful still waiting, with Jesus saying, “Very soon now, I shall be with you.” What kind of ending is that? In a way it seems unfair. Sixty-seven books and a couple thousand years and still waiting?!

Except that this is what it means to be people of faith—to be still waiting, still watching, still hoping, still listening . . . for God. Fiercely waiting.

If you’re still waiting, it means you haven’t settled in, insisting that present arrangements are the be-all and end-all just because they happen to suit you.

You’re still waiting.

And if you’re still waiting, it means you haven’t given up. You haven’t decided, cynically, that it all amounts to nothing and why bother anyhow? You’re still waiting.

Are you still waiting—fiercely waiting?

And here’s the great thing . . . if you are still waiting, you stand an excellent chance of seeing Jesus, “the bright morning star,” the pre-dawn pulse of promise for those awake and waiting.

Prayer

Keep me alert, Holy One; watching, yearning and still waiting for the world You intend and for You, our hope beyond hope.

About the Author
Tony Robinson, a United Church of Christ minister, is a speaker, teacher, and writer. His newest book is Called to Lead: Paul’s Letters to Timothy for a New Day. You can read Tony’s “Weekly Meditation” and “What’s Tony Thinking?” at his website, www.anthonybrobinson.com.