Dear Father,

We pray for Your comfort and Your peace to fall upon us tonight.  We yearn for You, we pray for Your kingdom to come.  Oh how we long for You to come back and make everything better!  This world needs fixing!  Human hands will not do; the world needs Your touch.  Encourage us as we grow weary watching and waiting.  Provide us with tasks to keep our minds on You and our hands busy with Your work.  We come against all doubt and despair in Jesus’ Name and by Your power we will NOT let the enemy succeed in breaking down our spirits.  We will NOT let him steal our joy.  Our joy is not dependent on external experience, but on a deep-seated hope and trust in You.  We love You, Father.

Amen.

My dear watching brothers and sisters,

You are my treasured family.  I can hardly wait to meet all of you in person!  And yet we continue to wait on the Lord together down here.  We continue to wrestle with feelings of excitement, discouragement, insight, defeat, and above all – hope and faith in our coming Redeemer.  To be honest, doubt lurks on the doorstep of my heart – knocking.  It is prowling all around me, banging on the windows, looking for any cracks to slip through.  I choose to resist it with all my might.  I continue to refuse to let it in.  If doubt is creeping around your heart, don’t let it in!!!!!  Stand firm in your faith – both in Jesus your Savior, and in Jesus the coming Redeemer!  He is coming for us!  He WILL COME!!!!

This momentary period of watching may feel like an eternity, but eternity will feel like only a moment 🙂

Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.  For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.  We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;  always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.  So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,  as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 

2 Corinthians 4:1,6-10,16-18 ESV

The disappointment that we are still here is palpable.  We aren’t wrong to watch, we aren’t wrong to hope.  Jesus wants to find faith when He comes back.  He wants us to be watching and waiting and longing for Him!  As I said before,  I would rather be jumping at the window with excitement when Jesus comes than not watching at all.

That’s why we’re here, right? We’re the Watchmen!  The welcoming committee — for JESUS!! WE are the ones who have the bubbling up joyful anticipation. WE are the ones scouring the skies for Him to appear.  WE are the ones keeping our ears peeled for the hint of a trumpet call. We’re the cheerleaders!!!

When Jesus comes, will He find faith on earth?  Faith that He is coming?

YES!  Amongst His faithful Watchmen!  WE will be the ones leaping up at His call – not surprised, but bawling and laughing and shrieking and beside ourselves with joy.

He is not delayed.  Nothing can hold back or stop the will of God!  Jesus will come at the appointed time.  We watch and wait together, encouraging one another, until He comes!  I love you all.

xx Stephanie Dawn