REVELATION 7:13-17 – “Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.””
THEME OF THE DAY: HE WILL WIPE THEM ALL AWAY. Tears. We will shed many of them on the journey to heaven, and the majority of them will not be of joy. Oh, those occur. The Lord makes Himself know to us in those special times of visitation when He impresses upon our hearts His love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, protection, provision, patience, and nearness as the God of all comfort. And we thank Him for such seasons of refreshment. But the other types of tears come to us often, quite often. Here is a list and I am sure we may expand it . . .
Tears of sorrow over the death of loved ones; tears over prodigal children; tears over unsaved children; tears over unfaithful spouses; tears over the ravaging consequences of diseases; tears over stale marriages; tears over betrayal by those we once thought were friends; tears over our sin; tears over our backslidings; tears over our spiritual indifference; tears over emotional, spiritual, and lingering physical pain; tears over life’s many disappointments, failed dreams, unrealized goals; tears over being exhausted by sleepless nights of worry, anxieties, and fears; tears over yielding to the same temptation for the umpteenth time; tears over seasons of suffering as we wait on the Lord for comfort and direction; tears over our inconsistencies in being faithful to seek the Lord in His Word and prayer; tears over feelings of being unloved and uncared for by other Christians; tears over life not working out like we thought or desired it would; and I am sure there are many more reasons for tears in this sin-cursed world.
Yet, remember these encouraging words from the Apostle Peter and apply them to our tears that are inseparable from our suffering.
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10).
Meditate on “a little while” . . . our tears are only for a little while. Soon, very soon, today’s scripture will be our experiences; the Good Shepherd Himself, the Lord Jesus, will wipe away every tear we ever shed, and they will be replaced with nothing but everlasting joy!
Tears. We will shed many of them on the journey to heaven, but only on our way to heaven. What a Gospel! What a Savior! What a tear-wiping away Lord we have! Rejoice though now through tears.
PRAYER: Father, thank You for the promise that all tears I shed in this life will be wiped away in the next.
REFLECTION: Tears are a price to pay in the race we run, the fight we must wage, and prize to be gained.