Why Is God Slow to Fulfill His Promises?

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
II Peter 3: 9 (ESV)
Scripture: II Peter 3

God had made many promises to us. Some might think He is taking His time to fulfill the promise that Jesus is returning. This devotion looks at what Peter has to say on Jesus’ second coming.

Cliff Notes

God has promised many things to us.
God is patient because He is love.
It is God’s hope that all men turn their lives over to Him.
However, He knows that will not be the case.

Many people though the years have said we are in the end times. Some have even tried to set a date as to when that will occur. We do know two things:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more” (Rev. 21: 1 RSV).
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Mt. 24: 36 RSV).

When asked about timing and signs indicating the end was near, Jesus told His disciples to “… take heed that no one leads you astray” (Mt. 24: 4 RSV). Peter took that to heart.

In his second epistle, Peter addressed the second coming. Let’s take a look at what He had to say.

God’s Not Slow

God has given us many promises. “And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires” (II Pet. 1: 4 NLT). What are some of these promises?

Answers prayer (Ps. 37: 4; Jn. 14: 13)
Deliverance (Ps. 34: 17; Ps. 50: 15)
Eternal life (Jn. 3: 16; Rev. 3: 5)
Faithful (Jer. 29: 12; Rom. 4: 21)
Fight for us (Ex. 14: 14)
Knowledge and wisdom (Jas. 1: 5)
Love (Ps. 145: 9)
Peace (Isa. 54: 10; Phil. 4: 6-7)
Presence (Deut. 31: 8; Mt. 28: 20)
Prosperity (Mal. 3: 10; II Cor. 9: 8)
Protection (Isa. 43: 2)
Provision (Mt. 6: 31-33; Phil. 4: 19)
Salvation (Ps. 27: 1; I Jn. 1: 9)
Strength (Isa. 49: 29-31; Eph. 3: 16-19)
Transformation (1 Jn. 3: 2; II Pet. 1: 3-4)

He is in control of all that happens to us (Isa. 14: 27; Jer. 29: 11).

Still, it will look to some like God is not fulfilling His promise regarding the end times. “Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, ‘What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created’” (II Pet. 3: 3-4 NLT). People will be wondering — and scoffing.

There is a reason for it looking like God is slow. “But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day” (II Pet. 3: 8 NLT). God is in a different timeframe than we are.

God Is Patient

Another reason that it looks like God is slow is because He is patient. “Love is patient and kind …” (I Cor. 13: 4 RSV). “… God is love” (I Jn. 4: 8 RSV). If patience is a characteristic of love, and God is love, then God is patient.

God is patiently waiting for all to hear of His love. Because of that, “… this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24: 14 ESV). Everyone has to hear before the end.

God will not tell Jesus to grab the cloud and sickle and scoot until all who are going to have turned their lives over to Him. Remember, we have free will whether we are going to do that, but He already knows who or isn’t.

God’s Love for All

We have talked about whether God’s love is just for believers or not. We’ve decided His love is for all — believers and non-believers.

To read Does God Love Non-Believers?, click the button below.

We know this because “… God has shown us how much he loves us — it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!” (Rom. 5: 8 GNT). We were all sinners when He instituted the plan of salvation.

It is God’s hope that all people to come to Him. “That is why He wants everyone to hear His Good News.

But God Will Not Spare Sinners

Peter made it abundantly clear that God will not spare non-believers in the end. We’ve talked about this before, too.

To read Will We Be Rewarded or Repaid?, click the button below.

Why should God spare them? He did not spare Satan, when He cast him from Heaven (II Pet. 2: 4). When He sent the flood in Genesis, He destroyed all living creates — except Noah, his family, and the animals with him (II Pet. 2: 5; Gen. 6-8). He didn’t spare Sodom and Gomorrah, either, though He said He would if He found ten righteous people (II Pet. 2: 6-8; Gen. 18-19).

What Does This Mean?

Peter’s main point was that Jesus will come again — suddenly, unexpectedly. “But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief …” (II Pet. 3: 10 NLT). We have to be ready.

What does Peter tell us to do? “… So you should serve and honor God by the way you live. You should look forward to the day when God judges everyone, and you should try to make it come soon …” (II Pet. 3: 11-12 CEV).

How Do We Apply This?

Did your stomach do a little flip when you read “… and you should try to make it come soon …” (II Pet. 3: 12 CEV)? Mine did. What jumped into my mind was, “Okay, how do I have anything to do about that?” Let’s table that for a second.

Let’s focus on the “… So you should serve and honor God by the way you live” (II Pet. 3: 11 CEV). The New Living Translation says, “… holy and godly lives …” (II Pet. 3: 11 NLT). Peter has already given us a couple of clues on how to do that.

We should study the Bible to see what it says about Jesus’ second coming. “… You must pay close attention to what they [the prophets] wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts” (II Pet. 1: 19 NLT).

What Peter was saying is God did tell us some about what is going to happen. So, we need to seek it out and put all of the connections together. No, not to predict a day, but so we are ready. “… So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing” (II Pet. 3: 17 NLT).

Remember, Peter said there would be scoffers (II Pet. 3: 3-4)? He also said “… False teachers will also sneak in and speak harmful lies to you …” (II Pet. 2: 1 CEV). We have to know what God says.

We have to be careful and evaluate what we hear. How do we do this — by “… grow[ing] in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ …” (II Pet. 3: 18 NLT). We have to know what God says so we can compare what the world says to it. Peter gives us advice on how to do that, too.

“… make certain that the Lord finds you pure [and] spotless …” (II Pet. 3: 14 CEV).

In the last devotion we talked about the good we should be doing (Gal. 5: 22-23) and the bad we should be staying away from (Gal. 5: 19-21).

To read What Is This Good We Are to Not Tire of Doing?, click the button below.

“… make certain that the Lord finds you … living at peace” (II Pet. 3: 14 CEV).

I think this could mean a couple of different things. We shouldn’t be worried that the end is coming. We shouldn’t be caught up in the rat race of this world.

We should be tuned into God’s peace. Remember we said one of His promises was peace?

Now back to how we are supposed to hurry this along. What is one of the main points in our job description as a believer? We are supposed to tell others.

As we share the Good News, more people hear until everyone has heard. Remember, “… and then the end will come” (Matthew 24: 14 ESV). We tell — more hear — less haven’t heard — all hear — end comes some time after that. We’ve helped the end along by doing what we are supposed to do.

Peter was just full of good advice. “So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Pet. 1: 10-11 NLT). That is what Peter wanted for us. That is what God wants for us.

Lord. You have not told us when the end will be, but You do not want us to worry. You want us to be prepared. Help us live pure, spotless, peaceful lives. Amen.

What do you think? Think about your life. Are you pure and spotless? Are you living in peace? What changes do you need to make to live like that?

Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.

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