Column by Sumter pastor Joey Durham: Our prayer: 'Even so, come, Lord Jesus'
I want to bring a devotion to your heart today on this thought, "The Last Prayer in the Bible." I want to take my text from Revelation 22:20, where we read, "He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." (KJV)
I personally love the Book of the Revelation. I have been preaching chapter by chapter on Sunday nights now for the past four years at the church and loving every minute of it! In last week's devotion, I brought to your heart verse 17, which is the last invitation in the Bible, and today I want to consider the last prayer in the Word of God. This prayer is spoken by the apostle John, who has been exiled to Patmos by the Roman Emperor Domitian, and he has just finished seeing the "Apokalupsis" or the "unveiling" of how God will bring to an end and a climax, His divine will and plan for the ages.
This prayer that John prays will do three things in relation to Jesus Christ and mankind. First, this prayer is asking for the immediate return of Jesus Christ, which is John's response to the Son of God stating, "Surely, I come quickly." In relation to the day that you and I live in, the coming of Jesus Christ is "imminent," or it could happen at any moment. Because I've accepted Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior, I accept this fact and await Christ's return by faith. Just as sure and true that Jesus Christ was born of the virgin Mary and laid in Bethlehem's manger, His second coming is just as sure and just as true.
Next, this prayer is asking for the interruption of our plans. We all know what it is like to make plans for the future. We plan to go places, accomplish goals, and as a Christian, we always temper our plans with realizing that our Lord's will must always be the guiding force of our plan making. But as you know, plans can be interrupted, and this prayer that John prays gives the return of Jesus Christ priority over our plans. I've got plans, but should Jesus Christ return today, that would be the best interruption ever!
Finally, this prayer is asking for a personal meeting with the Son of God Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ. Think about that! For those who are saved, we will be face to face with Christ our Savior! For those who are saved, this prayer involves what is known as the "Blessed Hope" of the believer. In plainer words, when John cried, "Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus," John was saying that Christ's coming would be the best thing that could ever happen because that was John's hope, and it should be our hope today. When we see what is taking place in this world, it sure would be a blessing to see the One who has loved us, saved us and washed us from our sins in His own precious Blood! So, along with the apostle John, this preacher says, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus!"
Dr. Joey Durham is pastor at Open Bible Baptist Church at 180 Old Manning Road in Sumter. You can contact Pastor Durham at durham.joey@yahoo.com or call the church office at (803) 481-9315.