I Thessalonians 3:11 – “Together”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹¹And may the God and our Father Himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you.

Throughout this book, Paul’s longing to see the Thessalonians, to visit them again, has been a common theme. He has said before, “But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to come to you – certainly I, Paul, did, again and again … Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again …” (2:17-3:10). Now he adds this prayer, “And may the God and our Father Himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you.”

I’d like to stop and just ponder this whole business of “missing” people, of longing to see them, and wanting to be with them. We all know the old saying, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Why is this? What I’d like to consider is that this is actually an expression of our God-likeness.

What were the first recorded words of the Lord after Adam and Eve fell? Gen 3:9 says, “The Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’”

It was sin that created “separation.”

And consider Jesus’ words, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am (Jn 14:2,3). Later in I Thessalonians, Paul tells them, “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (4:17).

The Lord Himself wants us to be “together,” to be “with” Him. He Himself describes Heaven as a place where, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God” (Rev 21:3).

No wonder we all have this longing within us to be together with the ones we love. That desire comes straight from the heart of God. Based on this observation, I would propose that the more we grow in Christ, the more we grow in love, the more we’ll find ourselves missing our loved ones and longing to see them. I’m suggesting that the more we’re like God the more we will long to be “together.”

But then this whole matter goes even further, I think. I notice looking ahead to verse 13, Paul mentions the Coming of our Lord Jesus “with all His holy ones.” We know too from Rev 19:14 that when Jesus returns to earth crowned with many crowns and riding His white horse, it says “The armies of Heaven were following Him, riding on white horses …” Stop and think about this – Jesus doesn’t need us with Him. He doesn’t need the armies of Heaven to somehow help Him conquer the earth. He has only but to speak and earth would melt. So why does He return “with all His holy ones?” It is because He loves us. He wants us to be with Him. He wants to be with us.

I think about His Return and how He will bring us all with Him, how He will actually allow us to be a part of His victorious conquering of the earth, and He does that, not because He needs us, but because He loves us, and then I think, “And how is today any different?” Is not today His day? Is He not today conquering the earth? Is He not today doing a great work in this world, “drawing all men unto Himself?” And is not life itself my opportunity to be with Him, to be a part of whatever He’s doing? He wants us with Him. It’s part of His great amazing love that I actually get to join Him in whatever He’s doing.  He doesn’t need me. Yet He calls me to join Him.

He didn’t need Moses to lead the people of Israel. He could have done it Himself. He didn’t need young David to slay Goliath. Goliath’s very breath was in God’s hand. He didn’t need Solomon to build the Temple or Nehemiah to rebuild the wall -- He Himself spoke galaxies into being! He doesn’t need husbands to love their wives. He could do it much better Himself. He doesn’t need parents to bring up their children. He doesn’t need workers to “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.” Yet in all these things He allows us to be a part of what He’s doing!

The question is not then whether He’s “with” us but whether we’re with Him! The very opportunity of life itself is for us to join Him, to be a part of His great work in our world. He wants us with Him. Today. Wherever we are. Whoever we’re with. Whatever we’re doing. It’s all part of His great work.

In my world the date today is May 9, 2017. But this isn’t just any day. This is His day. He is and will be doing great and mighty things today. As I sit here typing, I don’t even know what that means. I don’t know what today will bring. As far as I know, I will go to work. I’ll interact with people pretty much all day. My task will be to love God and love people, whatever I find myself doing. Somehow He will take that and weave it into His great plan. And I’ll get to do it because He loves me. He wants me to be with Him, to be a part of whatever He’s doing.

May He give us all the faith to see beyond the apparent mundane of our lives and see it is all the grand and glorious opportunity to be “together,” to be “with” our God and with each other. And may He give us the grace today to love well – like He does, to enjoy “together” because it’s all simply part of being like Him.