The Lord’s Coming

“We always give thanks to God for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly keeping in mind your work of faith and labor of love and perseverance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”—1 Thessalonians 1:2–3 NASB

Fighting with the Northern army during America’s Civil War, Daniel Whittle was rewarded for bravery. He rose in the ranks and eventually lost his right arm and became a prisoner of war.

While in prison, an orderly noticed Whittle reading a New Testament. He called on Whittle to pray with a dying prisoner, but Whittle was reluctant. He knew he needed to get his life right with God.

After confessing his sins and asking for forgiveness, he felt justified in praying for the boy. As Whittle prayed, the boy became quiet. When Whittle arose, he discovered that the boy had died. But his face glowed with peace. Whittle realized that God had used the dying boy to bring him to salvation.

After the war, Whittle might have been thinking about this boy when he wrote “The Hope of the Coming of the Lord,” a hymn inspired by the hope he felt about the Lord’s second coming. This thought brought peace to the heart of many, like Whittle, who had endured the Civil War. This hope, he wrote, provides a sure anchor when we go through storms. It is “a refuge for the soul, where in quiet we may hide us.”

Make sure that you are right with God and that Jesus is Lord of your life. Remember, He is coming again, and you will spend eternity with Him! Allow this thought to fill your heart with hope.

Reflection Question: Do you need to make anything right with God?