The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.

There are times of great slowness in our lives. Slow is waiting for news from the doctor when a loved one is having uncertain surgery. Slow is the time clock for someone whose job has become a trap. Time may be slow for those whose loved ones have wandered away from Jesus. Slow is time in a jail cell for a prisoner. Days and nights are often slow for someone whose body is set upon by disease. Slow are the days of many whose lives are racked by past mistakes. I see, as some of you do, much struggle and slowness around me. Some even question God, sometimes quietly under their breath and sometimes with puffy, red eyes. “How long, Oh Lord? How long?”

Peter responds, The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise to come again. He’ll be here before you know it. We are told He’ll come like a thief when you least expect Him. The slowness of our lives will end, whether it is on the last day of time – the end of the world – or on our last day – the day we die. This world with its slowness and struggle will not last forever.

While we wait for that day I tell you our God is, also, not slow in keeping His promise to see us through all manner of things. He is not slow to rejoice when we honestly repent of our sins and turn back to Him. He is as Peter writes, patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. Another word for this type of patience is “long-suffering.”

Long-suffering can mean one is willing to put up with a lot to achieve the goal. In one respect we see this as delayed gratification: I’m willing to sacrifice and endure much to achieve a worthwhile goal like a person who goes through years of rigorous schooling to become a doctor or engineer, or years of an apprenticeship to be an electrician or plumber, or the parents who make great sacrifice that their children may be provided for. The Father has shown Himself to be “the model for delayed gratification.” He has endured rejection, abuses, and the scorn of sinful people, even sacrificed His Son that we might be brought to repent of our sins. In that repentance all heaven rejoices – Truly, truly, it was all worth it.

Peter writes, the Lord is not slowing keeping His promise, as some understand slowness…. With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. To many people, God appears slow in responding to sinful behavior, allowing it to seemingly go unpunished even to flourish. There are no lightning bolts or plagues of locust upon people who scoff, scorn, and even deny Him. We look at them and wonder why God has a patient way with the likes of them. It is good that He is. For there are some other people with whom God has also proven Himself to be patient – you and me.

He has been patient with those of us who are slow to attend to the things of God, slower yet to really admit how offensive our sins are to God. He has long-suffered with those of us who refuse to really forgive and forget as it has been forgiven and forgotten for us. He has endured those of us who self-righteously judge others and those who are indifferent to the needs of others. He is long-suffering in the hopes that we will be brought by the speaking of His Word to turn from our sins.

Truly, truly, it isn’t just the likes of them, all the people out there, that God is long-suffering with but the likes of us, as well. We, too, are slow, hard-hearted, and must try even the patience of God.

Into the midst of our slowness and hard-heartedness came Jesus. He was not slow in coming as some measure slowness, but Paul writes to the Galatians, when the time had fully come, God sent His son born of a woman born under law to redeem those under law. (Gal 4.4a) Fully God and fully man, He came tenderheartedly teaching the things of God, teaching and reteaching those who were slow to grasp that He was the promised Messiah. He came doing all manner of miracles that scoffers would be brought to know that He is the Christ. When as Jesus declared His hour had come, He fought His way to the cross to die for the sins of the whole world, to die for you and me.

The Father was patient leaving the sins of men unpunished until His Son was lifted up upon the cross. At just the right time Jesus became sin for us so that at just the right time we might be found sinless before the Father.

At just the right time on the morning of the third day Jesus arose again life. He arose not with words of revenge against us sinners but with words of forgiveness, comfort, and peace. In His life, death, and resurrection we find our forgiveness for our sins. This forgiveness finds some early in life, others at middle age and still others at the twilight of their years, but God is patient not wanting anyone to perish. Let us not show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience for God’s kindness leads towards repentance. (Rom 2.4)

After giving many convincing proofs that He had indeed risen from the dead He ascended back to heaven and from there He will come again. Until that day Jesus has given us the charge to no longer be slow in our believing or our living. St. Peter writes on behalf of His risen Lord, You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God’s return and speed its coming. St. Matthew recorded for us the words of Jesus to help us to understand what this holy and godly living would look like: Jesus said, I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you came to visit me. (Matt 25. 35, 36) We are called to live out our faith with deeds of service to those around us.

St. Paul helps us to understand that curious part of the text, that seems to connect our godly living to speeding up the Lord’s return. In his letter to the Galatians St. Paul writes, Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward. (Gal 4.4) God has drawn closer to us by and through the study of His Word, partaking of the Lord’s Supper, fellowship with other believers, and in prayer. His coming in one way has been accelerated for He is already with us in real ways. All this is a foretaste of what is to come- for this strain to embrace it!

Now some believers rather than eagerly awaiting a Savior have been lulled back to sleep. Some sleepily mumble, “Yes, I know Jesus is coming back but it probably won’t be today. I can go on about business as usual…. maybe tomorrow…maybe next year.” Many us aren’t asleep but our eyes are sure getting pretty heavy. Some of us are getting really comfortable in these pews and those easy chairs at home. Jesus never commissioned us to just sit and sing but to go and tell! Go and make disciples of all nations. In the words of that Sunday school hymn about the wedding banquet, “If we are slow in responding He may leave us behind.”

It is by sharing the stories of the Bible that our faith can be made strong and faith can be created in unbelievers that none be left behind. It is by the living out our faith in and amidst of a sinful world that our faith be tested, refined, and made strong, so that on the day of the Lord’s coming we may be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him. It is sharing and living out of our faith that the Holy Spirit fills our days and pushes aside the slowness of this life.

Amen.