January 27

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John 14:1-3

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

Years ago I heard a preacher tell the following story. I’m not sure whether the story is historical or more of a “parable”, but I have never forgotten it.

In 1989 an earthquake measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale virtually flattened the tiny country of Armenia. Within 4 minutes, some 30,000 men, women and children were dead.

In the aftermath of the quake, scores of towns and villages were left in chaos and shock.

Out of the tragedy came the story of one man – a father who ran to the site of the school house where just that morning he had dropped his son off with the words, “I’ll come back to get you after school.”

With those words ringing in his ears and heart, he ran around the collapsed building trying to find an entrance. There he found an already growing group of parents and rescue workers digging through the rubble hoping against hope to find signs of life.

Everyone joined in, lifting slabs of concrete and dragging chunks of roofing off the pile. Hours went by and some began to lose hope. Still this one father worked on. Eventually, as night fell, others came alongside and suggested gently that it was time to stop and go home to get some rest. Some said, “It’s no use…they’re all gone. Don’t make it worse than it already is.”

But he refused to give up. “I have a promise to keep,” was all he would say.

And he worked thought the night. Eight hours became 12 hours; and then 24 hours; and then 36 hours; and still he worked on.

And then, in the 38^th hour, with his hands raw and bleeding, he pulled of one final piece of concrete and heard faint voices.

“Armand! Armand!” he called his son’s name with desperate hope. “Are you there?”

Then in the silence, a boy’s small voice came back, “Dad, I’m here!”

And just after that, the boy’s voice was heard again, this time directed to the other children buried alive with him. And he said, “See, I told you my Dad would come. He promised!”

In John 14, Jesus made a promise.

“I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

If you are a Christian today, you must know that Jesus promised to return, not in general, not in a metaphorical sense, but personally, and for you!

We don’t know when he will return. Jesus, himself, only says his return will be soon. So we don’t know when we will see him – but we can be prepared!

And, as the Apostle Paul reminds us, we can encourage each other with these words. I hope and pray you find great encouragement in the promise of Jesus’ second coming! And I hope you find daily encouragement in spending “10 Minutes with God!”

Pastor Brian Coffey