I was just wondering if you could give me some advice about longing for Christ’s return. If I were to truly tell you how I feel, I would say that I just don’t feel any genuine longing for the return of Christ. I’m not saying I don’t want it to happen, it would be the best thing in the world, I just don’t have a general sense of everyday longing for His return and awaiting my King. Would you mind giving me advice on how to long for His return?
Longing is a strong persistent desire to be with someone. It’s the result of an abiding love between you. Think of someone you’re very close to in this world. If they went away for a long time you would miss them and long for their return. Therefore, if you want to long for the Lord’s return you just need to get closer to Him.
You can do that by learning more about Him; what He’s done for you in the past, what He’s doing for you in the present, and what He’s promised to do for you in the future. The more you learn more about Him the more amazed you’ll be at what a great friend He can be, and you will soon grow to love Him. Then you’ll begin to long for His return because you’ll understand how much better things will be when He returns.
Right now He’s standing just at the edge of your awareness, hoping you’ll notice Him. The Bible says if you draw near to Him He will draw near to you (James 4:8). He wants this to happen even more than you do but He won’t force Himself on you. You have to make the first move. The Bible also says this is so important to Him that He has promised to personally award a crown to everyone who longs for His return (2 Tim. 4:8). One of those crowns could be yours.