Come Soon Lord Jesus

Hi there, I'm Dr. John White, WebMD's Chief Medical Officer and host of the Spotlight On series from our Health Discovered podcast.

In this special episode brought to you by UCB, you'll hear why the color of your skin might impact how you're diagnosed and treated for psoriasis. That letter wasn't about killing myself, but more so like a spiritual death, like killing the different parts of me that would not allow myself to truly live an authentic life because of psoriasis. And so it was so many people touched by the blog that they had sent it to the National Psoriasis Foundation. So a couple of the employees there at the time had messaged me and they were like, oh my gosh, we love your letter. We want you to come to a volunteer conference. And so that very next year, I was at my first National Psoriasis Foundation conference.

Listen to Health Discovered on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. God offers an open invitation for his people to talk with him at any time about anything. On Encouraging Prayer, Dr. James Banks, author of the bestselling Prayers for Prodigals and many other books on prayer provides weekly biblical insight to help you learn to love to pray. And now here's James. Well, today on Encouraging Prayer, we're going to talk about what some have called the prayer to end all prayers because after this prayer is answered, we'll never have to pray again.

What an absolutely awesome topic, James. I don't want to die to hear about this. Well, that prayer that you're talking about is found in Revelation 22, 20. And Jesus says he's coming soon.

And then John responds, amen, come, Lord Jesus. So that's a prayer to help us keep our lives in perspective, isn't it? Oh, it really is because if we pray that, I mean, it's going to help us live for him and really look forward to every day as kingdom comes. And that's what Scripture talks about again and again.

Think about Paul's words in Matthew 28, where he says, Now there is in store for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to those who have longed for his appearing. And just that phrase, longed for his appearing, that's a good one to ponder, isn't it? Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah. It's such a good question to ask because we get so wrapped up in our everyday lives, if we're honest. I think often our perspective is, Jesus, I want you to return, but could you let these other things happen first?

Isn't that right? If we're honest, we have to recognize that there are so many things that we're tied to. We have to be real with him in this because he knows our hearts. And even though it may sound good in church to say, Oh, I want the Lord to return, you know, when we think about what that day is, I mean, Scripture tells us that the day of the Lord will be a day of joy for those who do not know him. And we can probably all think about someone we love that we long to see come to him before that day happens. So, you know, we've just got to be absolutely honest with him and pray with hearts that are real. Oh, absolutely. So you can also add that praying this way can lead us to pray for them, right?

Those people who need him as well. Yeah, yeah, that's why this is the prayer to end all prayers, because once it is answered, we will see Jesus face to face. I mean, once the harvest is done, you know, then it's party time. For those who know him and love him and look forward to his coming, it will be the best day on earth. And keep in mind, this is also the way Jesus wants us to pray. Just think about the second request for your kingdom come. This is all about knowing him and loving him and looking forward to him. Think of David's words to the Lord in Psalm 101.

I will be careful to lead a blameless life. When will you come to me? So once again, you know, you come to that place of relationship where you want to be with the Lord, if you're in a genuine and heartfelt relationship with him. And because of that, he's going to lead us to pray like this more and more.

Oh yeah, he really does. So James, what do you make of what Peter says in 2 Peter 3-12, where he talks about Jesus' return and uses the phrase, as you look forward to the day of God and the speed of his coming? Do you think there are ways we can actually speed up Jesus' return? Yeah, you know, that's such an inverse, Robbie, as you look forward to the day of Jesus' return and speed or to the day of God and speed its coming.

I mean, the way Peter puts it certainly sounds like we can, and that makes me think of a couple of things. Jesus said that he would return, of course, after the good news was preached to all nations, and he also told us to pray for his return. Again, to pray for your kingdom come. So I think prayer and evangelism have to be a part of that, because Peter writes right before that that the Lord is patient, wanting anyone to be lost, but wanting everyone to repent and to turn to him.

Again, you see evangelism there. So it's clear that faith matters and Jesus' teaching on prayer is very clear. Yeah, Jesus said that none of us will know when he will return, that not even he knows. You know, only the Father does, but you're right, he does make very clear what we're going to be doing while we're waiting and praying for him to come back is a huge part of that. So let's talk a little bit more about why we want to pray this way.

Let's go there, because that is so good. I mean, think about Isaiah 51 11, where it talks about the new heaven and the new earth, and it says that those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing and everlasting joy will crown their heads and gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Or think about what the Revelation says about God wiping every tear from our eyes, and this banquet will come from east and west and sit at table in the kingdom of God. There's going to be nothing better. I mean, absolutely nothing better. I mean, think of what it's going to mean to no longer have the pains of these bodies to be free from, you know, our old sin nature, to see the Lord face to face and those we love who have loved him.

I mean, what could be better than that? You know, I was thinking about your title, and I might amend it a bit. It's the prayer that starts all prayers, because from then on, you know, we will be just talking, right? And we'll always be in communion with the Lord, you know, at that juncture. Like, wow, right?

So had you thought about that? Yeah, I love that, because again, if we know him, if we love him, this is where our heart wants to go. That's the work of his spirit in us. So we really need to pray this way. Lord, help us, you know.

We want you to come soon and to speed your coming by sharing this wonderful relationship that you have called us into with others. I mean, it just all ties together, doesn't it? Oh yeah.

But as you say, you know, there's a lot of very, very precious people to me that I would love to see, you know, get in relationship with him before it's too late. Amen. Amen. Well, Robbie, could you just pray us out with all of this in mind?

Oh, absolutely. Jesus, thank you so much that we know that there is a prayer that's going to start all prayers and that we are going to have that, and that is our hope, that's our faith, Lord. I pray in the meantime that you would help us to not get distracted from the real thing and help us to stay in our prayers right there anxiously awaiting that day, and that day for everyone that they would have that relationship with you, especially those that are dear to us. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. Amen.