Hasten the Day

I was reading in 2 Peter and came across the famous, "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9) Now, clearly, to insert "human beings" after "all" is a mistake. The context is "you" and is a reference to believers, so the idea that it is God's will for all human beings to come to repentance is violation of the text and a slight on His Sovereignty. However, that is not the point I'm trying to make here.

The context of 2 Peter 3:9 is "the last days" (2 Peter 3:3). In verse 9 he is writing about the return of Christ when he writes about the Lord not being slow. So moving beyond verse 9, we come to this.

Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! (2 Peter 3:11-12)

It's interesting the conclusion Peter comes to. "With a long view of life--the return of Christ in view--and a short view of this world--it will all be burned up--it ought to change how you live." How? "Holy conduct and godliness" for one. Then he says that we ought to be looking for the coming day of God. And we often don't. But it's that last one that caught my eye. We should also be "hastening the coming of the day."

Now, hang on! How is that possible? God will come when God will come. How do we "hasten" it?

The word used means to speed it, but the implication can be to "await eagerly" or "to urge on". We do that, for instance, when we pray, "Thy kingdom come" in the Lord's Prayer. John winds up the Revelation with the prayer, "Come, Lord Jesus." (Rev 22:20) We pray for it. That's the most obvious way. But I can think of another. Go back to verse 9. If God is delaying His return until "all" that He wills have come to a faith, then it would seem to me that our work at reaching people for Christ would be working toward "hastening the day". And isn't that what Jesus said? "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come." (Matt 24:14)

What about you? What are you doing to hasten the coming of the day of the Lord? It is, after all, a command.