"If The Lord Tarries"

[ Back to Article Titles Page ]  [ Back to Home Page ]

We are instructed in God's Word not to say that we know when the Lord will come back for no man can know. In the Book of James, in the fourth chapter, and in the fifteenth verse God's Word instructs us to say, "If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that." Now this should not be something we learn to say out of habit, but it should be something instilled in our hearts as we grow to acknowledge Him in all our ways, knowing that He is in complete control of not only our lives, but of every situation and circumstance.

As with the above mentioned statement, many of us as His children have adopted the statement, "If the Lord tarries". I have said this myself many times and I have heard some great men and women of God say this, but the Lord put it on my heart just this morning to write this little article as this statement, nor anything referring to it is found in His Word. I looked the word tarry up in the dictionary and it says, "to be tardy; Delay; to be slow in leaving". Let me assure you that the Lord will not tarry. It is so very true that no man knows just when He will return, but He knows and He has always known. Someone once said that if God were small enough for us to understand, He wouldn't be big enough for us to worship. This is a very true statement. A lot of times when we see how bad and how evil the world has gotten, we tend to think that surely God can't wait much longer.

Personally, I believe that His return could be very soon, and perhaps even before I finish this little article, but I don't know when it will be. I do know that He put this little article upon my heart and I believe that He will at least let me get enough of it done to serve the purpose He has planned for it. One thing is for certain though, I'm not going to try and hurry this article just because I think it may never get finished. As I said before, He put this article on my heart and if He wants me to finish it, I will finish it. If not, then someone who is left here may have to read it right off the computer. That's His decision, because as with everything else, He is in control.

Now, His control is not limited by what man does or does not do, such as with the case of our mind set that surely He won't let the world get much more evil before He returns. He's not so small as to be just sitting up there on His throne waiting for someone to do something that will make Him mad enough to say, "That's it, I've had enough". No, He knows exactly what He's doing and He knows exactly when He will return. I had absolutely no control over the night He saved me and I have absolutely no control over when He will call me home. He knew from the very beginning (and I'm not talking about my beginning), that He would save me. He knew when He would save me. And He knew who He would use to lead me to Him. He knew all that and He knew and knows when He will call an end to all this. He will not tarry.

As part of my Bible reading for today, I was reading in the Book of Jeremiah, in the twenty-fourth chapter. In there it speaks of the sign of the figs and in verse seven it says, "And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart." Now I don't know about you, but that is such a comforting verse of scripture to me. I think about all those times I came close to death throughout my life and I was forty years old before the Lord saved me. This heart that I have to know Him is not something I attained on my own, for He gave it to me. It was His plan and not my own. It's all His plan and we have absolutely no control over it. Isn't that wonderful. I purposely didn't put a question mark after that sentence, because there is no question about it. He will not tarry.

Another part of my Bible reading for today took me to the Book of Numbers, in the third chapter. In the previous chapter the Lord had been giving instructions as to where everyone was to camp and to their duties. In chapter three, He was giving detailed instructions concerning the duties of the individuals of the Levites. God has specific plans for each of His own. These plans do not include any of them just waiting for His return. Each one of us must be going about the business of our Father, looking to Him for the direction and the guidance as to what those specific plans are. While doing so, in our hearts and not just out of habit saying, "If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that". And never looking for Him to tarry. He won't do it. One of those plans that He has for each and every one of us is to tell others about Him and about the wonderful gift of salvation that He offers so freely to those that will believe.

Now let me place a most beautiful thought before you. You know that He knows exactly who will be saved and He knows exactly when they will be saved. He knows exactly who He will use to lead each and every one of them to Him. And He knows exactly when he will return. Can you think of a greater joy or privilege than to lead that last soul to the Lord just before He calls us all home? Think about it. One thing for sure though. It can never happen if we don't tell them about Him at every opportunity He gives us.