v 17 For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd.
He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.
And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.
How often we have shed tears because of painful happenings in our lives. The loss of a loved one, the hurt of rejection, the pain of being misunderstood, even pain felt for the hurt that others feel, these all move us to tears. BUT one day the tears will be wiped away – life in all its fullness will be restored – not by the unfeeling wipe of a Kleenex, but by Father God’s own hand.
I find myself writing these notes during that Conference called COP26. We are hearing dire tales of future destruction – even extinction – as our climate changes. There are long faces and speakers conjure up images of weather chaos and widespread destruction of our ecosystems. We might weep over human greed and the far-reaching consequences of past choices in the way society has sucked out the resources of the planet. But there will be a new heaven and earth, there will be springs of life-giving water, and our painful past will be put behind us. Isn’t that something worth singing about? It doesn’t make the present any more beautiful but it puts light in our hearts and a fresh song in our mouths.
So get singing about the future! It’s not ‘Pie in the sky when we die’ but rather it is ‘Hope in our hearts while we live’.
What songs convey that best for you? Surely not banal and over-repetitive so-called ‘Praise songs’ but a robust joyful celebration of God’s goodness.
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