The one where justice prevails.

Today's Reading: 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10

As I sat at my desk this morning reading today's scripture, I thought about all the movies I've enjoyed where good wins out in the end. Don't you just love a story that ends with the bad guy getting what's coming to him? It's great to root for the guy who is being persecuted and seeing the tables turned on the persecutor at the end. That's just what God promises in today's reading. Paul tells the Thessalonians that they will be counted worthy for their suffering. He assures them, "God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled..." The blessed assurance is that we will have relief and the enemy will get what is coming to him.

Some days we just want God's justice to hurry up, don't we? There are days that I wake up and tell God that in my estimation, today would be a great day for Jesus to return and for the devil to get his due. But even though we don't get to know the exact date that will happen, Paul does go on to say, "This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels."

And on those days when I'm wishing God would hurry up, I'm also wishing I knew when it was all going to happen...and how. But since we don't get to know that, I'm grateful for the glimpse that we have.

Jesus is coming back...from heaven...in blazing fire...and with an army of angels. And God's justice will prevail.

Amen.

- Holly Barrett