All Things New

"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.  

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.' 

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.'" 

- Revelation 21:3-5

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I woke up to a fresh layer of snow blanketing the ground this morning, and at that early hour, the streetlights left everything around in a hazy glow. Though the sun was still asleep, the crisp freshness awakened my heart, and I felt a bit of hope. Today would be a good day. 

Sometimes my heart gets heavy with the weight of pain in our world. I've always carried around an empathetic heart, and at times that can be very consuming and exhausting. There's just so much pain everywhere I look, and I feel that pain deep down into my heart, and sometimes even my physical self shares the heaviness that my heart feels. 

As I stood looking out at the snow, I was reminded of fresh beginnings, and ultimately, how one day, my God will make everything new. He will take away every pain, and we will be washed clean, forgetting all that has happened, and embracing paradise with our King. 

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My Dad loves Revelation, so naturally it became a book near to my heart as well. Though I'm no prophet, and I certainly don't have full understanding of all that Revelation reveals, this one passage I know deep down into my soul with so much certainty, and so much hope. 

I have always loved the imagery of this passage, and the picture of God coming down and dwelling with man. And not only dwelling, but owning us, accepting us, and calling us His own. He will be our God, and we will be His people. Is there anything more comforting than that? Knowing that our Father God is so tender towards His own, that He calls us, and  loves us, and takes us as His. We will no longer be alone, foreigners in the land, because God will be here, and everything will be right. 

The image of God Himself bending to wipe my tears, brings more to my eyes, thinking about the promise of complete healing and complete peace. There will be no more pain, no more crying, no more death. No more separation from those we love, no more sickness, no more questions, no more searching, no more confusion, no more disappointment, no more heartache, no more hunger, no more disease, no more…no more! God Himself will come to us, He will say enough is enough, and He will make everything new! 

Our God speaks with such authority, 'He Who is seated on the throne!' We don't need to question, we don't need to doubt, God Himself has declared these words to be 'Trustworthy and true', He will come, and He will save us! The day is coming, and I wait in such anticipation! 

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I needed this word of hope today, and maybe you did too. That's just how our God works. He knows His children so intimately, He knows what our hearts need, and He uses scripture to encourage us, to fill us back up, and give us strength to keep fighting the good fight. This world is full of pain everywhere we look, but pain has not won, our God has. And in His perfect time, He will come for us, and make every wrong right, and heal every scar.

We serve an awesome God, who loves us so very much! Take hope in Him today, let your heart be encouraged.