Eagerly Awaiting

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;”

Philippians 3:20

It is not uncommon to see someone waiting at an airport gate for a loved one. Perhaps it is a husband returning from a long business trip or a child returning home from college. Though you do not know exactly when they will appear, you eagerly wait with anticipation for the joy of seeing them again. Similarly, Christians are exhorted throughout the New Testament to eagerly await the Lord’s return. While we do not know exactly when He will return, it is certain that one day He will.

While imprisoned in Rome, Paul exhorts the Philippians to eagerly await the return of their Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ would be returning from heaven, the same place where their true citizenship is. In Philippians 3:20, Paul states that a believer's true citizenship is not earthly but instead heavenly. The word “citizenship” (políteuma) indicates the need to behave as a citizen. In this context, Paul is referring to the status of a Christian as a citizen of heaven. One of the things that the heavenly citizen should be doing is looking for Christ's return.

“A Christian is assured that…his real home is in heaven and that he is only temporarily related to this world, its governments, and its problems.”[1]

But Paul is not simply stating that the Philippians are to be factually aware of the Lord's return. Rather, Paul encourages them to do so with eagerness. To look with eagerness (apekdéchomai), pictures looking for Jesus' return expectantly and with a deep sense of yearning. Do you yearn for the Lord's return? We should, because this is the believer's hope and remedy for many of our problems. No wonder the New Testament repeatedly speaks of the Lord's return (e.g., 1 Corinthians 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; Hebrews 9:28).

“Christ, the Lord, will come again,

None shall wait for Him in vain:

I shall then His glory see:

Christ will come and call for me.”[2]

Christians are not merely to believe in Christ's return, but to live in eager anticipation of it. The Lord's return is the believer's hope and the time when He will begin to fulfill many of His promises. Just as we may await a loved one to appear at the airport gate, so too should we await our Savior Jesus' return. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen!

Lord, forgive me for focusing so much attention on myself and the world around me that I forget this important truth. One day, the Lord will return, and I should eagerly anticipate it. Who knows, perhaps today He will come! Amen.

[1] John Walvoord. Philippians: Triumph in Christ, pg. 97.

[2] C.H. Mackintosh. Papers on the Lord’s Coming.