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12/16 Reading Portions: 2 Chronicles 18; Revelation 7; Zechariah 3; John 6
Revelation 7:17
“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.”
EYE
I presented a challenge to the congregation of Calvary Baptist Church a few years ago to memorize Psalm 119:137,
Righteous are You, O LORD, and right are Your rules.
In memorizing this verse, I instructed them to meditate upon Christ’s righteousness, each day for one week. I participated in the exercise as well, and as I did so, there were several days when my response was tears over the corruptions remaining in my mortal flesh. Christ’s light, by His perfect righteousness, illuminated my wretchedness apart from Him. On the last day of my challenge, my tears turned to joy deep within because the whisper of Christ’s presence reminded me that every struggle we endure during our mortal sojourn is an opportunity to glorify our Lamb and Lord because He sits “in the midst of the throne” and He is the Good Shepherd indeed. One day, the Lord Jesus will return, and every tear will be wiped away, fulfilling even that which was foreshadowed of old:
For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling; Psalm 116:8
Indeed, Christ Jesus has saved us (delivered my soul from death). Jesus has given us His joy (delivered… my eyes from tears). And when He returns, and we corruptible mortals will put on incorruptible immortality (1 Cor 15:51-54), Jesus will, once and for all, deliver our feet from stumbling. The tears of our passage today were also foreshadowed in the joyful Song of Ascents:
Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! Psalm 126:5
We endure tears for now, but one day, when insufferable seconds vanish and Christ’s eternity is all in all, our shouts of joy will ring in glorious harmony because in Christ’s…
…presence there is fullness of joy; at [His] right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
God’s Lamb has won the victory
And sits enthron’d eternally;
Yet one day He’ll forever be
Our Shepherd whom we’ll always see.
We have hope and we can look forward to the day our tears our wiped away, praise God.