2 Peter 3:9 KJV
[9] “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
The problem in this verse is not with God, but with human perception. We live in a world of schedules, deadlines, and where people want immediate results. However, God does not work on man’s scale. Our verse says, “as some men count slackness.” These scoffers are measuring God by their own limited understanding. Men are fools to try to measure the God that created them. God is Sovereign. He knows all things, sees all things, and is in control of all things. He knows the beginning from the end. He is not bound by our clocks or timelines. If Jesus had come when these scoffers demanded Him to, then you and I would have never existed. This reveals the mercy of God in His patience to return. I’m thankful He saw fit to wait so that we could be born and hear the Gospel. What a blessing it is to know that we may be alive when Jesus comes again.
We see in this verse the very heartbeat of God. I want to remind us that God does not delight in judgment. He does not desire the destruction of the wicked. It is not His will that people should perish, but that they will be saved. This is a reminder that we should never view God as harsh or eager to punish. We should view Him as a loving, merciful God who is longsuffering toward mankind. God is so Sovereign that He can still be merciful in judgment. Think about how God always delivers a warning before He acts. Why would He do this? He does it because He loves sinners and wants to rescue them. His ultimate goal is for them to heed the warning of His judgment and repent.
When we read the Bible, we see the great lengths that He goes to just to rescue one sinner from Hell. I think that Luke chapter fifteen is one of the greatest chapters in the Bible that illustrates this truth. We have three great stories given by our Savior, teaching us that He will search for, find, and welcome a sinner into His arms. Just as the shepherd searched for the lost sheep that had wandered away, our Lord searches for lost sinners. Then, just as the woman searched for the coin that had no idea it was lost, the Holy Spirit speaks to sinners who do not know that they are lost. Finally, as the Father welcomes the lost son who knowingly walked away from Him, our Heavenly Father welcomes those who come to Him in repentance and faith.