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Every Tear Will Be Wiped Away
Andrea Lende • April 23, 2020
Revelation 7:16-17
Every Tear Will Be Wiped Away
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Every-Tear-Will-Be-Wiped-Away-ed5qnb
Daily Word:
Revelation 7:16-17
“They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun smite them, nor any scorching heat.”
“For the Lamb Who is in the midst of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to the springs of the water of life; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
What promises we have to look forward to in heaven.
These verses almost make me want to go to heaven today!
As I read these verses this morning I was struck with a few things.
First, the promises that have been made to us are more valuable than all the gold or treasure we heap up for ourselves here on earth.
And, secondly, I feel like am so often led by my emotions instead of by God’s spirit.
I know I find myself continually asking myself what would make me feel better.
I have a number of tasks to complete during the day.
Some I enjoy and some I do not.
So, I find that I am continually checking in with me wondering what would feel better for me to do.
There is a constant tug of war thinking about getting the hard stuff out of the way so that I can enjoy the latter part of my day.
Or, do I do the enjoyable things first and then do the hard stuff?
This conversation is one that is constantly conferring with my flesh and my feelings.
I will be glad to be rid of that conversation someday.
I imagine that heaven will allow me to be free of those fleshly conversations.
Lastly, I was also thinking about the suffering that this life brings.
How nice it will be when the suffering ends.
Not just for me, but for everyone.
We suffer over many different things in this world.
Our emotions – how often we feel downcast, or broken, or lost, or alone.
And the list goes on.
Fear is a huge emotion that we all feel.
I think we feel this emotion all too often.
Fear keeps us from moving past ourselves and really serving others in a way that God wants us to serve.
Fear can paralyze us in so many ways.
Even simple trips to the grocery store sometimes seem impossible for me.
As I read the Word today, I truly found myself thinking how nice it will be to finally finish this race here on earth and be in the arms of the Savior.
Thinking on these words – “He will guide them to the springs of the water of life; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Then I thought, what if we could have some of that here and now?
What if Jesus could lead us to the springs today?
What if I allowed the Lord to wipe away my tears, strengthen me beyond my fears, and lead me to His presence?
He could provide a place here on earth that is something like heaven.
I think that is what is available.
Jesus talked about the kingdom of heaven being close to those who were healed, loved, and taught by Him.
I can ask Him to be that close to me now – today.
He can come to me and come to my aid at any moment of any day.
And so today I choose to be close to Jesus and allow Him to lead me to the springs, wipe away my tears, and strengthen me beyond my fears.
May you find that the Lord is close to you this day and will lead you to Himself, wipe away your tears, and strengthen you beyond your fears and emotions.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me that You are intimately involved in my life and close to me today. Thank You for leading me to the springs of the waters of life and thank you for wiping away my tears. Thank You for the promise of eternal life with You where the emotional and physical parts of me are discarded as my spirit remains with You. Thank You for continually bringing me closer to You even as I traverse this world. I pray for peace in the chaos and calm in the storm of life. I thank You for the grace You pour over me, Lord, for I am but a lowly sinner and You have made me perfect in Your sight. Thank You for Your favor which I do not deserve and, yet, You give it freely. Help me do Your work and serve others as You desire. Put Your love in my heart so that I may love as You love and do as You command. May Your desires become my desires, Lord. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM leading and guiding you to the springs of life and am continually filling you with My Holy Spirit and Love.
Response: Thank You, most gracious and loving Almighty Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.