Suddenly

"See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty.
—Malachi 3:1

Thursday morning, after eight months of patiently waiting (and one month of not so patiently waiting), Kristin called to me from the other room to tell me that labor had begun. Five hours later, I was holding my baby girl. Thankfully, everything had been prepared, and we were ready. After all the longing, praying and waiting, suddenly she was here.

It seems so much easier to wait on a baby than to wait for God. We long for God to come and right the wrongs, to heal the wounds, release the captives, and bind up the broken hearted. We long for the tangible proof and expression of our faith. At communion we all declare "the mystery of the gospel" that "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again," but it is hard to live out, because unlike a baby, God has no due date.

While we do not know when the Lord will return, according to scripture, both in Malachi 3 and Mark 13, we do know it will be suddenly. Suddenly, everything we have desired and sought after will be fulfilled.

Naomi Grace Putnam Suddenly, Naomi was born, and I am grateful she is here! I am also grateful that everything was ready for her arrival. The day is coming when the Lord will return and I will be grateful! Will I have done everything possible to prepare for His arrival?

Homework this week: Pray and meditate this week on the question, "What must I do to prepare the way for the Lord to come suddenly in my life this week?"

Naomi was born on Thursday, July 23, 2009 at 11:28 a.m. She was 9lbs and 4oz. and 20.5" long. Mother and baby are doing great!

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