Anxious Longing: Look Up From Your Post

All of creation groans in longing, eagerly awaiting the second coming of the King. All of creation. Whether we know it or not, our souls long for connection with our Creator, with the One who makes us whole, the One who makes all things right and complete and good.

Romans 8:19-21: For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

The Greek word for anxious longing is apokaradokia which means to have anxious or expectant expectation. Thayer’s lexicon describes this word as turning or outstretching one’s head, to direct one’s attention toward, or to wait with suspense. To look up from one’s post.

Creation, humans included, has been subjected to this anxious longing for the revealing of the sons of God. Creation longs to be set free from being subjected to futility, longing with hope that it will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

Do you long for this freedom?

Do you look up from your post and long for Jesus to come back, to do away with death forever?

Have you ever been stuck with your eyes looking down, concentrating on the tasks that come with everyday life?

We’ve all been there. At our post, doing our thing. Making it happen.

May the sweet breeze of His Spirit draw our attention upwards. May we be people who look up from our posts, looking ahead to the awesome hope that we have whose name is Jesus. Who is sitting at the right hand of the living God biding His time until He makes His glorious re-entrance.

And as we shift our gaze, outstretching our heads, joining in with the rest of creation in longing, may our posts shift to better reflect His calling and His purpose.

When we look down and do our own thing for so long, sometimes we look up and we’re not sure where we’re at in the grand scheme of things. We can feel lost or overwhelmed when others are questioning and calling for change. May we shift our gaze to Him, our anchor.

He calls us into seasons of waiting, of movement, of intense labor, of rest. He’s known for all of it. So we can rest assured that He knows our needs, we can trust Him with our desires and hopes. We can surrender it all and be confident in His goodness.

In all things and all seasons, may we shift our gaze, looking up from our posts, and waiting longingly for the revealing of the sons of God. We’re already there, and yet we aren’t. Freedom is here and freedom is coming.

Look up from your post. Let’s wait for it well.