“Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
July 19, 2023
Some years ago, a submarine sank off the coast of Massachusetts that went by the title S-4. It sank in deep waters. Many ships sped to the rescue to see if they could raise the ship and rescue the crew. They sent a diver many feet beneath the surface, and that diver put his gear up to the shell of that submarine, and he heard a message in Morse code. The message was a question: “Is there any hope?” And that’s what this world wants to know.
For some people, there is no hope. As one person said, it looks like we’re looking into the muzzle of a loaded cannon. Somebody said that hopelessness is the saddest word in the human language. Other people have hope, but it is a false hope. Somebody said there is no greater false hope than the first four hours of a diet. For many people, there is hope, but it is a false hope. Other people have hope, but it is an uncertain hope. But this passage of Scripture speaks of the Second Coming of Jesus. It calls the Second Coming “the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” And the Bible calls it a certain hope, a “blessed hope.”
Spend some time in prayer, asking God to reveal the places you’ve put your hope outside of Jesus. Ask Him to lead you toward the certain hope of Jesus.
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”