“Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.”
– Matthew 24:44–46
What a picture. Doesn’t this transform your perspective on today, to live today, so that you will be ready when the Son of Man, when Jesus comes? It could be today. It could be today. Before you and I close out this day, Jesus could return at any moment. That’s what Jesus is saying.
Matthew 24:44–46 Reminds Us of Jesus’ Return
The Son of Man’s going to come at an hour you do not expect. So who then is the faithful and wise servant? Don’t you want to be that, faithful and wise? Well, blessed is that servant whom his master is faithfully… So blessed is that servant whom the master finds faithfully, wisely following him, doing what he’s called them to do when he comes. Live today like that. Live today to be faithful and wise as a servant of Jesus, doing whatever He has called you to do in your life, certainly according to his word. And then as he’s called you by his spirit to obey his word in your life, in your family, in your vocation.
What does it look like today for you to be a faithful and wise servant, who will be ready if Jesus comes back today? Oh, God, we pray that you would help us to live like that today. We pray that you would help us to be faithful to you, to your word, to your spirit’s leadership in our lives. You would find us today following you. And Jesus, if you return today, that it would be clear we are following you wisely. We’re living according to your word and the leadership of your spirit. We’re serving you. We praise you for the privilege of being your servants. And we pray that you’d help us to faithfully, wisely serve you today. Jesus, we want you to come back today. We long for your return. Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly and help us to be ready today.
Matthew 24:44–46 Reminds Us of the Importance of Faithfulness to the Lord
And if you don’t come back today in your wisdom, then we pray you help us to live this way tomorrow and the next day and the next day that in the end of our lives, whether you return or whether we breathe our last breath here, that it would be said we were faithful, wise, servants obeying you, loving you with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, loving others as ourselves, making disciples of the nations leading people to Jesus. Oh, God, may it be so. God, we want to be found faithful in a world where so many people have so little knowledge of the gospel.
Praying for Faithfulness
God, help us to be faithful today, to pray and to give and to go right where we live and wherever you lead for the spread of your gospel. God, help us to be faithful and wise servants today and tomorrow and the next until you return or you bring us home. In Jesus’ name, we pray according to your word in Matthew 24:44–46 in anticipation of your coming. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
