Category: He will wipe every tear

Isaiah 61:10 NIV
I delight greatly in the LORD;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Revelation 19:6-8 NIV
6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

“Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)

What a beautiful image of the bride clothed in fine linen. This refers to the church, the bride of Christ, who has been clothed with salvation and his righteousness. We are his people who rejoice and are glad for this is our reality: that Christ will return, and our healing will be complete in every way. This is our hope as we look forward to that day.

Prayer: Hallelujah! We praise you, Lord, for clothing us in your righteousness. Would you help us today to live according to your truth?  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship to the song “Lion and the Lamb” by Leeland (click here).

-MR

 

Romans 5:5-8 NIV
5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

“The ultimate portrait of God’s love for us is Jesus’ dying for us on the cross while we were yet his enemies (Rom. 5:6–10). Paul tells us that the Spirit comes into our hearts, pointing to that cross, and declaring, ‘See, I love you! I love you! I love you!’ (cf. Rom. 5:5).” (Craig S. Keener, Revelation, NIVAC)

Because of his great love for us, poured out into our hearts, we have been made new. His Spirit lives in us. As we face the challenges of this day, may we be filled again and again with his love and be renewed in his presence.

Prayer: God, thank you for your love poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. We confess how much we are in need of experiencing your love again today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship to the song “Pursue Me” by Worship Central (click here).

– MR

John 14.1-4 NIV

1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

“So this pictures Jesus going home to heaven and readying dwelling places in his Father’s heavenly home for the disciples, then at a later time returning to earth to gather his followers and bring them back to their final home in heaven…Jesus is saying that his departure will take place via the cross, resurrection, and ascension. The disciples will join him at his second coming and their own resurrection to glory, as in 2 Corinthians 5:1: ‘If the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands’ but by Christ. In both texts the believers will dwell with the Godhead in heaven for all eternity.” (Grant Osborne, John: Verse by Verse)

Prayer: God, thank you for dwelling with your people. We look forward to the day when heaven and earth will be perfectly united. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship to the song “Echo Holy” by Red Rocks Worship (click here).

-MR

Revelation 21:3-5 NIV
3 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. 4 ‘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.” 5 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.”

Rather than restoring how things were in Genesis, this redemption God brings is new. It is a whole new reality. It is a restoration of all things and is better than the innocence in Genesis. One day, God will wipe every tear from our eyes and eliminate all sorrow and its causes.

May we turn to him with hope regarding areas in our lives where we are in need of healing and experience layer upon layer of ongoing healing and wholeness as we look forward to the day he will wipe away every tear.

Prayer: Father, we put our hope in you. We confess that you are the one who redeems, restores, and heals us. Would you help us to hold onto your promises today? In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship to the song “Abide with Me” by Matt Redman (click here).

-MR

Let’s read aloud together this passage, confession, and prayer.

1 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV)
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you…

Heidelberg Catechism
Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A. That I am not my own,
but belong—
body and soul,
in life and in death—
to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.
He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,
and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.
He also watches over me in such a way
that not a hair can fall from my head
without the will of my Father in heaven;
in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.
Because I belong to him,
Christ, by his Holy Spirit,
assures me of eternal life
and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready
from now on to live for him.

Prayer: Father, we thank you, for in your great mercy, you have given us life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We stand in awe of you and all that you have done. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship to the song “Thank You Jesus” by Charity Gayle (click here).

– MR