The Lord is Not Slow

But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:8-9 NASB

Is this door open or closed to you?

Yom Kippur started at sundown yesterday and continues until sunset today. It is a Day of Atonement, especially to God for individuals and for their nation. The Jews are still looking for their Messiah—but as our tour guide, Amir, explained when we visited Israel—it is a Messiah for their nation, not for each individual. It was an epiphany moment for me as I thought about these two concepts. Jews are looking for a national Messiah…and they seek repentance as a nation during Yom Kippur. Our western culture seeks individual salvation…while the countries of eastern cultures seek national salvation. God does not want anyone to be destroyed…not any nation or any individual. He wants them to repent. That is what Yom Kippur is all about.

God doesn’t want anyone to perish—to spend eternity in hell. But everyone makes their own choices—including where they will spend eternity. If we don’t choose to follow God—His ways, His commands—and accept His gift of eternal life with Him, then we get the alternative—eternity WITHOUT God. He is faithful to hear our prayers…and as this scripture today tells us…He is patient. When the time comes for Him to call His chosen people home to Heaven, the time of patience will end. The door will close, just like in the parable of the bridegroom.

Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. But at midnight there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the prudent, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the prudent answered, 'No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. Later the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, lord, open up for us.' But he answered, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.' Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour. Matthew 25:1-13 NASB

We don’t know the hour or the day…so always be ready for Christ’s return. Some people predicted that it would be when the shofar horn was blown at the end of the last Yom Kippur service, signifying the end of the fast for Yom Kippur, the end of Shabbat, in 2017 (Hebrew calendar 5777) since it was year of the Jubilee. But Christ’s return hasn’t happened. Once again we are starting over…just like with repentance, we start fresh with God. Forgiven, cleansed of all unrighteousness. Do you feel that during this time of the Feast of Trumpets and Yom Kippur you have sought repentance and received renewal?

Prayer ~ Dear Jesus, Set our hearts right with You. Give peace, strength and hope to those who so desperately need it. Life and death are just part of our existence…and as we listen constantly and patiently wait for that shofar horn blast, may Your love surround us and flow through us to others.

Daily Bible Reading: Haggai

© 2018 Text and photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

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