Life is filled with waiting. Whether it’s waiting for the weekend, for an upcoming vacation, or for the birth of a child or grandchild, we’re always waiting for something. And the Christian life itself is a waiting period; Paul says that, as citizens of heaven already, we now “await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

For Christians, this waiting should be one of the defining features of our lives. There is an otherworldly dimension to our existence—and it’s important. We are not to be consumed by, controlled by, constrained by, or riveted to “earthly things” (Philippians 3:19), but we are to “seek the things that are above” (Colossians 3:1) as we eagerly await our Savior and the fullness of the benefits He will shower on us. We are to be a waiting people, not a settling people.

If you have ever been separated from a close loved one for an extended period, perhaps you have felt the pangs of intense longing. You may be just fine for a few days or even a few weeks, but soon you feel as if a part of you is missing. You eagerly anticipate your reunion—and when the day finally draws near, you can hardly stand the wait any longer!

Paul wants us to wait expectantly for our Lord Jesus Christ with the same sort of longing. We will do that as we remember that “the appointed time has grown very short” (1 Corinthians 7:29) and that “salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11). However long or short the wait is from our perspective, Jesus will return in due time—and when He does, He will transform us to be like Himself, forever.

That reunion may come sooner than you think—and it will certainly come “soon” when compared to the vastness of the eternity that awaits us! But for now, you and I are still left to watch and wait for the return of our King. So, until that day when you are brought into the presence of your Savior forever, be sure not to settle for what this world has to offer, becoming more excited about the “now” than the “not yet.” Instead, say with the psalmist, “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning” (Psalm 130:5-6). However today goes, make it a day of waiting for what is to come.