In this song, written by Charles Wesley in 1744, we hear the continuous groaning of humanity awaiting a saviour to carry its burdens. In Matthew 1:21, the angelic words about the newborn baby state that He shall be named Jesus “because he will save his people from their sins.” This declaration echoes the prophetic song about the Lord’s servant who “bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12). Jesus is the very son of God who was sent by the Father to save His lost, hurting and errant creation.

For the Christian church, this prayer for the long-expected Jesus to come was never meant to be limited to one time in life or one area of life. Such a prayer is daily lifted by the church at all times and places, calling Jesus to intervene in the midst of our fears, struggles, pains and doubts. It is a cry which aims not only for the historical second coming of Christ but also for His continual coming with power and salvation in our lives here and now. This long-expected Jesus is at the same time Emmanuel, who is “God with us.” He is not living in a high, ivory tower totally indifferent to what we are going through. Rather, He is with us to the end of the age as He promised (Matthew 28:20), in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes and somehow, we misperceive Him, as did the Emmaus disciples who said ignorantly, “we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21). In the midst of our troubles, our eyes get blinded by the unpleasant circumstances and the unceasing pressures to the extent that we can no longer feel the extreme closeness of the Lord. Thus, the troubled soul may accuse the Lord of being sleepy, indifferent and inattentive (as in Mark 4:38; Psalm 10:1). However, reality is otherwise. God is totally and positively present in our darkest times. As Clinton McCann puts it, “God is involved. God is present in the depths; God is to be found where we live every day; God is with us. God is personally intimately, concretely involved.”[1]

In the last book of the Bible, we find out that the last-mentioned prayer in the Scriptures is a prayer that is lifted on behalf of the striving church, which finds open is that of heaven. That is why the ongoing prayer from the holy community has been and will always be “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

And as the Apostle John’s benediction says, His grace is with us every day (Revelation 22:21).

As the Arab world is witnessing horrible, scary and painful conditions due to the wars in Gaza, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq and Libya, the prayer for the continuous coming of Christ is indispensable. The Christian church is called to be a sign of this coming. As the star in the east pointed to the Saviour’s place for the magi to come and honour Him, in the same way, the church has the responsibility to point to Christ in order to revive hope in the hearts of those who have lost it. The church in the Middle East can do many things to fulfil this role. In its preaching, the church must point to God’s love, which strengthens the weak and encourages the oppressed. In its social ministry, the church has to present Christ the healer, the feeder of the hungry and the One who cares for widows and orphans. In its speech, the church should proclaim the truth without fear and declare God’s judgment with both audacity and humility. Such a witness confirms the prayer’s ongoing relevance.

Indeed, come, thou long-expected Jesus.

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[1] J. Clinton McCann, Jr., A Theological Introduction to the Book of Psalms: The Psalms as Torah (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993), 93.