It’s surprising for my spouse and me to think about that it has been nearly 18 years since we heard that our son was lifeless. Overcome by suicidal melancholy, he took his personal life after graduating from faculty.
It took a while for us to come back to grips with the truth of what had taken place, however not lengthy after that painful second, we turned a part of a grief restoration group sponsored by a neighboring church. Finally, we embraced the concept that we have been to be conduits of consolation flowing out to others and never simply containers of restoration for ourselves (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). That perception formed the remainder of our ministry.
One of many issues that we discovered from our time in GriefShare was that individuals react to loss in another way. This has definitely been the case for Sweet and me. As she has led a grief group in our church over time, she typically tells people who tears come simply for her. Whereas I additionally grieve, I very not often cry. Our distinctive experiences assist us to consolation others who could discover their different types of deep mourning to be jarring to their relationships with different survivors.
In Revelation 21:1-4, God offers us a treasured promise of a brand new resurrection world. These verses can captivate our sanctified creativeness. What’s going to this promised existence be like? How will this reward of God come down out of heaven? Will the town be a holy place, however in some way additionally an excellent particular person—a bride adorned for her husband, Jesus? Will we, perfected in holiness, be the dwelling place of God without end? What’s going to it’s wish to be on this new world the place loss of life, crying, and ache will probably be no extra?
Included within the description of the grand-finale new Jerusalem is that this comforting image: “He (God) will wipe away each tear from their eyes.” This explicit promise offers me pause, since I not often weep. However though I don’t shed tears typically, I’m definitely in want of everlasting emotional restore. The tearlessness I expertise now can really be removed from nice. What’s going to it imply to me that Jesus will wipe away each tear from my eye, since I don’t cry?
As I’ve meditated upon, memorized, and sung these beloved phrases from the top of the Bible, I am happy that Revelation 21:4 is nice information not solely for individuals who continuously cry but in addition for individuals who can’t appear to shed a tear. Our Lord won’t solely take away the outer manifestations of disappointment, he may even fantastically heal all the internal ache that comes from guilt, disgrace, anger, concern, confusion, division, and a lot extra. The residents of the resurrection world will expertise good shalom from the tender hand of the Almighty.
Who is that this God who is filled with type compassion and so highly effective to avoid wasting? He’s Immanuel Jesus— God with us and the I AM of salvation. The palms that may wipe away bodily tears and cleanse our broken souls so splendidly are the identical palms that have been “wounded for our transgressions” (Isaiah 53:5).
The picture of a God who comforts us was prophesied way back in Isaiah 25:8. So many centuries earlier than Roman nails pierced the Messiah, the prophet proclaimed this: “He’ll swallow up loss of life without end; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his folks he’ll take away from all of the earth, for the LORD has spoken.”
This verse helps me to see behind the tears to the internal turmoil of separation and disgrace. Will Jesus take away my reproach? Take into account two ideas concerning the Man of Sorrows whose loss of life and resurrection have change into the hope of all who consider in His Identify:
1. Jesus would be the King over a brand new and united heaven and earth.
Not will now we have a painful breach between this world and the following, maintaining us from the presence of family members who’ve gone forward of us.
Since Genesis 3, grieving folks have suffered nice disappointment due to the division between life on earth and the current heavens. When our Messiah returns, we will probably be along with the Lord without end. One of the crucial painful info of loss on this world is that we’re stored from protected contact with Christians who’re on the opposite facet of the divide. Not can we benefit from the expertise of being collectively. Conversations, laughter, and the delicate physique language of encouragement that make our existence so wealthy are actually out of the query.
We could have treasured images or movies of previous days, however even one of the best recollections could stay painful for many years. Many survivors discover that they don’t seem to be but able to look again on former glad moments as a result of they’re nonetheless working by their anguish about these earlier occasions that now appear to be gone without end.
All it will someday be greater than repaired. We may have joyful contact with the redeemed that will probably be far richer than something now we have ever skilled on this mortal life. Our new surroundings will probably be with out the risks and sorrows of our existence right this moment. We will probably be residing in a spot the place we won’t have a touch of disappointment and the place all issues will probably be eternally new. Solely the Triune God can do that wonderful miracle, and he’ll do that for all who’re in Jesus.
2. Jesus will probably be our Prince of Peace without end.
Sure, our Lord will reunite an ideal resurrection surroundings, however don’t lose sight of this comforting reality: the brightest jewel within the Metropolis of God would be the Captain of our Salvation, the Prince of Shalom. In our days of sorrow, we could discover it inconceivable to think about that Jesus will probably be extra superb to us than our first sight of a cherished one which we miss so deeply.
That is simply a part of our soul harm that the Lord will definitely restore. He understands our weak point and can make all the things proper once more. He “is ready to do much more abundantly than all that we ask or suppose” (Ephesians 3:20).
Our enjoyment of Jesus in heaven will probably be fuller and extra superb than we are able to probably think about. Even now “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will rework our lowly physique to be like his superb physique, by the ability that permits him even to topic all issues to himself” (Philippians 3:20-21).
As Paul instructs us in Colossians 3:1–4, “If then you could have been raised with Christ, search the issues which might be above, the place Christ is, seated on the proper hand of God. Set your minds on issues which might be above, not on issues which might be on earth. For you could have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who’s your life seems, then you definitely additionally will seem with him in glory.”
All this gospel encouragement doesn’t imply that we are able to sidestep the painful actuality of grief on this damaged and unhappy world. We do grieve, however not “as others do who don’t have any hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). We’ve got a future. We’ve got come to consider within the truths that we completely want to be able to thrive right this moment. We’ve got a assured expectation that the guarantees of God are reliable.
Sure, he’ll wipe away each tear from our eyes. He’ll even take away the reproach of these of us who’ve forgotten how you can cry. He would be the final reply for us.
It’s a troubling truth of life that “on the planet you should have tribulation.” However as Jesus assures us in John 16:33, “Take coronary heart; I’ve overcome the world.”
Stephen Magee is the founding pastor of Exeter Presbyterian Church in Exeter, New Hampshire.
