Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
Charles Wesley (1707-88)
Come, Thou long-expected Jesus,
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us;
Let us find our rest in Thee
Israel’s strength and consolation, Israel is not merely a
nation. It is God’s people.
Hope of all the earth Thou art,
Dear desire of ev’ry nation,
Joy of ev’ry longing heart.
Born Thy people to deliver;
Born a child and yet a king!
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all-sufficient merit
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
“How
much longer?” we ask when we wait for something exciting; for someone exciting.
Jesus’ presence thrills us and we want Him to be with us. The celebration of
His birth draws us back to the long patient waiting of the people of the Old
Testament. They had been promised a Savior, and we join in their waiting,
asking “How much longer until he comes?” We know this Savior is Jesus, so we
sing, “Come, Thou long expected Jesus,” but as we do there is double meaning.
We, too, wait for Jesus to come. While we celebrate His birth, we know that the
deed is done. He was born. He died for our sins. He is risen and lives and
reigns to all eternity. And He is coming again.
“How
much longer until he comes?” We don’t know, but we join with believers across
the ages to pray, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20) This is our desire, the
thing we want so badly we can hardly wait. We want to be with Jesus. The only
way that can happen is for Him to come to us.
He came
to set us free from sin and fear. He came to deliver us. He came to give us
rest, and hope, and the Kingdom of God. He came to raise us to live with Him in
glory. So we pray, “Come, Thou long expected Jesus!”
Prayer
Come,
Thou long expected Jesus. Come and set us free from sin and fear. Come and fill
our hearts with hope and peace. Come and bring us into Your glory. Come and be
our King who reigns in us forever. Amen.
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