They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven. (1 Thess. 1:9–10)
Expanded Passage: 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10
During World War II, the Italian town of Assisi became a haven for hundreds of Jews escaping persecution and certain death. Courageous priests like Giuseppe Nicolini, along with the townspeople, hid them in convents and monasteries. Forged documents were printed in secret. Escape routes were whispered in alleyways. Every knock on the door could have been the Gestapo. Families had to stay silent for months, and children were coached never to cry aloud. Mass was celebrated in underground rooms. Time was measured by meals discreetly delivered and coded signals. They waited not just for liberation, but for survival, living moment to moment in hope. When the Allies arrived and the Nazis fled, those saved emerged weeping with gratitude. Their long, fearful wait in the shadows had ended in salvation, thanks to those who risked everything to shelter them.
Paul praised the church in Thessalonica for turning from idols to serve the true God and for waiting for the return of Christ, the living God. The Thessalonians had found their true salvation, but they had to wait patiently while enduring suffering and persecution. It would have been easy for them to give up and return to their former idols, but they remained faithful. Waiting can be heavy with fear and uncertainty, but we are called, just as the church in Thessalonica, to wait on Christ with faith and hope.
Wait faithfully in hope, even when fear surrounds you.
Mark Moore is an associate professor of theology at Jessup University (CA) and an associate pastor at Faith Legacy Church in Sacramento, CA.
© 2026 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
