July 3, 2022

Revelations 7: 17 (NIV)

“. . . And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Without the presence and the comfort of God the sorrows of life would be unbearable.*

There will be no tears in heaven, but we aren’t promised that we won’t have things to cry about before we get there. Happily, God doesn't leave us to wallow in our earthly sorrows; we don’t have to wait until we get to heaven to experience his comfort. We are promised a Comforter (John 14: 16). The Holy Spirit, as our Comforter, serves to provide us with the consolation that we would receive from the personal presence of Jesus.*

Paul tells us in II Corinthians 1: 3 and 4, that God is “the Father of compassion, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in trouble.” My family spent four days at my dad’s bedside, waiting for him to die. It was the worst thing I had ever had to endure and yet I never experienced God’s comfort so completely. A few weeks later, I was able to offer some consolation to a friend as her father was dying.

God doesn’t promise that we won’t have reason to cry but he will wipe away our tears. He provides hope that no earthly comfort can ever offer.

The same hand that stretched the heavens will touch your cheeks. The same hand that formed the mountains will caress your face. The same hands that curled in agony as the Roman spike cut through will someday cup your face and brush away your tears. Forever.*