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. Revelation 21:3-4
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. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. Revelation 21:5-7
As we watch God's plan come together, it's exciting to see how it has always been His goal to love and fellowship with us. In the Garden of Eden, He use to walk with man. Then, sadly, we strayed and ruined paradise. Fortunately, God isn't easily deterred and He had a plan that culminates in chapter 21!
If you've been following along, you've also heard me wonder and be amazed by the way the participants in Heaven worship God all of the time. I've wondered with my simple mind, "how can they do that all of the time? Wouldn't it get old?" Then, I read the following story from Kent Hughes,
"“AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER.” The stories end that way, and we might be tempted to think that they end that way because there is nothing interesting left to say—no more drama, no more tension, no more threat, no more excitement. My friend Denny Burk had prayed a beautiful prayer during our wedding ceremony, and the morning after the wedding I sat at the kitchen table, reading that prayer. Before long I was weeping. I think it was a kind of emotional catharsis. Before the wedding I was amazed that I might get to be Jill’s husband (I’m still amazed by it!), and I couldn’t wait for it to happen. Now I was overwhelmed that it had really come true.
To be honest, I think I wondered if there was anything else to look forward to in life. The best day of my life had come and gone. Was there anything left to long for in life? I was too shortsighted to see that life with Jill was going to be even better than the wedding day itself and that there were all sorts of things to look forward to, from doing things together to having children to walking life’s pathways and enjoying each other’s company. Just being with her is a blessing unto itself."
Join me in reading Revelation 21 and be encouraged!
