2 Peter 3:8-9
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: For the Lord, one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow to do what he promised, as some consider slowness. Instead, he is patient for your sakes, not wanting anyone to perish, but all to come to repentance.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for being patient with us. Each day is a struggle between doing what is right and the sin that tempts us away from You. There is so much comfort in these words that you are not slow but patient for not wanting anyone to perish but that all people come to repentance.
Yet You force no one to believe in You and provide everything everyone needs to have faith. Your Holy Spirit works through Your word to ignite that spark of faith in each person, and while You will not put it out, a person’s rejection of Your Spirit will extinguish that spark.
We hear these words, which contain Your will for us people, and that is not wanting anyone to perish. So, You do all You can to provide them with opportunities to know, believe, and trust in You. That comes to us through faith in Your Son. Jesus suffered for our sins on the cross so that by believing in Him, our sins are removed, and we are restored to You.
Your salvational plan is how we have come to trust in You; this does not mean we are free from sin. Temptations are constantly coming at us; having faith means we fight against those challenges. When we fail, we realize our sins and come to our Savior, who forgives and restores us. So we thank You for being patient with us; we see our sins and realize how awful we are and how much more superior Your grace and mercy are than our sins.
Please allow us to be part of Your salvational plan for unbelievers—only You know who they are. Put them in our path, and let us share Your patience, love, grace, and mercy with them so they will repent and not perish. Amen.
Written through Pastor Roger Emmons
Thankfully, God’s patience far exceeds our patience; it goes beyond our understanding but has an end date with your time of grace. He has sent His one and only Son to suffer and restore you to him so you will come to know and trust in Jesus during your time of grace.