Two extraordinary events happened this week that made me long for the Lord’s return.
Monday night we had strong thunderstorms in Memphis. The thunderstorms weren’t the strange occurrence, but the non-stop flickering of lightning in the sky was something I had not seen before. It was as if the heavens were communicating something grand was about to happen.
As I peeked out my window to watch, I was overcome with awe by the beauty and “strangeness” of it. God was giving us a grand display of His power and glory. I secretly hoped that it was a prelude to His returning for us.
Tuesday night there was another unusual phenomenon. Jupiter and Venus came so “close” together that they appeared as one bright, shining star in the east. Many believe it was this same occurrence that the Bible refers to in Matthew 2:2 when the magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem and asked, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
Just as the star over Bethlehem led the magi to worship Him, seeing this “star” Tuesday night led me to worship Him. As I stood gazing at the bright “star” in the east, I imagined what it would have felt like following that star to Bethlehem to see the Messiah, the King who came to this earth as a baby for you and me.
I found myself also asking, “Lord, the bright star in the east, the star of Bethlehem, was a sign of your first coming. Could it be that this event is ushering in your second coming?”
I turned around and behind me was the bright moon, beautiful in its brilliance. I felt like I could reach out and touch it. I was overcome with emotion and wanted to fall to my knees in worship. It made me long for the day when we will see Him face to face and enjoy the majesty of the mansion He’s preparing for us.
We don’t know when the Lord will come back. Only the Father knows the day and time. But these two events this week made me long for that day more than ever. As I’ve been pondering His return, it’s also made me diligent in praying, “Lord, I want to live my life as if You’re coming back today.”
What difference would it make in your life if you knew He was returning today or this week? We don’t know when He will return, but we know He will. This week was a precious reminder that I should live every day as if it could be today. It could be.
If you saw the “star of Bethlehem” this week, what were your thoughts? How did it impact you?
