"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:3-4). When was the last time you cried? When was the last time you felt pain? The good news is that with each passing day, we're counting down the days in which it's possible to experience these things, because one day these things will vanish like a bad dream. Our first parents walked and talked with God in the Garden - the temple sanctuary of God - they need not have known pain or suffering. However, ever since the fall this world has been scarred by sin and its consequence death. We're living among the glorious ruins of God's creation. However, when Christ returns it will be to redeem and renew creation, and to put right all that has gone wrong. God always heals His people - it's just a question of when. In this life sometimes extraordinarily God heals us of problems in our lives, but even those great events are only temporary - because we'll still die. However, when the new creation comes, God is going to heal us permanently and eternally, making our bodies new, and removing the things that harm and grieve us. Then in that day we'll again be in the sanctuary of God, dwelling in His presence, and in that relationship with Him we'll enjoy the restoration of life to the way it was always meant to be. This is our hope in the midst of days filled with aches, pains, fears and tears - these days are running out, and better ones are coming just over the horizon!
Pray Today:
- For God to bless us and for each one of us to be an encouragement to one another tonight as we gather in our home groups around the city to pray.
- For Christians living and working around the city to be seeking to shine, serve and speak for God in their places of influence.
- For the Discovery discipleship programme this afternoon over lunch working with people in our city centre community.
