Revelation 21:1-6
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.
There it is again, “the good” pursuing us like a husband or a bride pursues their lover, their friend, their son, their child…
John of Patmos has a vision of God in the final days revealing the Glory of God like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
I don’t know your marital status but there’s a special moment when the Bride is presented to the congregation and to the groom. It’s a moment of tears, happiness, sadness (the mom and dad of the bride has to feel bitter sweet), and other intense emotions. What a beautiful picture of how much God, the good, goodness, good news, and love is pursuing us. And each moment that we recognize the beauty of God in this world it feels like this moment. It’s not identical to this moment but it’s similar.
That’s what happens when one experiences revival in their life. You have “a moment.” A movie I highly encourage you to watch is Disney’s new film “Soul.” It talks all about finding purpose, finding your “moment,” passions and dreams. It’s beautiful. Really take your time to watch it!
For me lesson number 1 in the scripture is that “goodness is pursuing us like love pursues love.” You ever pursued someone? It’s beautiful and hard when that person doesn’t love you back. But it’s amazing when your pursuit bears fruit.
Lesson number 2 is in the idea that God, the good, goodness, love, peace, heaven….all the things of God, feels a lot like healing. Because healing makes things new.
I’m no Physiologist but I know that once a body is healed it is on it’s way from life to death. It’s on it’s way from weakness to strength. It’s on it’s way from sickness to health. So what God wants to do in us, and in this world, sometimes feels a lot like healing. How can we take the things in us and in the world and find healing from it? The healing feels like changing the meaning of the word “cry.”
The Bible says that in the end times “all” things will be made new. When I read the idea that God wipes every tear I think that God will not stop the crying. God will wipe the tear. What a beautiful image. The image of a child crying in the arms of their parent and the parent wiping the tear from their eyes. God does something beautiful, something new, something healing in the crying. God will not take away the reason why we cry, God will wipe the tears. Beautiful.
For me I see this as a new way of seeing death, mourning, crying and pain. We will experience a new kind of it all.
Because there is a difference between crying when you lose someone and crying when you are laughing.
There’s a difference between the pain you experience from someone attacking you and the pain you experience from helping others and sacrifice.
There’s a difference between mourning the loss of someone who has not a good person in your life and mourning someone who was extra special.
In the end times…..(Which the “end times,” deserves time for another devotional.)
In the end times we will experience a new kind of crying. A good crying.
Blessings to you this week and may God turn the pain of 2020 into a new way of being in this world.
Love you guys.