Revelation 7:14b-17 (CEB)

Then he said to me, “These people have come out of great hardship. They have washed their robes and made them white in the Lamb’s blood. This is the reason they are before God’s throne. They worship him day and night in his temple, and the one seated on the throne will shelter them. They won’t hunger or thirst anymore. No sun or scorching sun will beat down on them, because the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them. He will lead them to the springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
 

I am somewhat addicted to an online game called “WordWipe” in which the object is to wipe the cursor across groups of letters to form words until there are no letters left on the board – all within two minutes or less. I can waste a great deal of time each day playing this time-eating game that can become mind-numbing.

I was playing the game one day recently and as my finger zipped over groups of letters that quickly disappeared, the thought crossed my mind that it would be wonderful to wipe away the cares of life just as easily. In recent months two friends who have been important in my life’s journey have died and I was feeling their loss in that moment. Grief can take many forms and it often takes us unawares. It can bring moments when all we want is for the moment to be wiped away.

However, we do not need a game to wipe away those moments. In John’s Revelation of Jesus Christ, we are told that God will wipe away our tears. This promise, within its context, is for the future when Christ returns. But we often cling to the words as comfort for now – as well as the not yet. If those who go through the great hardships that Revelation describes as the end times are promised comfort, life-giving water, and God’s wiping away of all tears, then it seems to me that we can turn to God for such comfort in those times when the cares of our daily lives become too much to bear. Maybe those times are related to deaths of family or friends, the pressure of “adulting” in today’s world, loneliness, fear for the future, or any number of other possibilities.

We all face moments when we need the comfort of knowing God’s presence – holding us close and wiping away the tears from our eyes and the weariness from our souls.
 

Prayer for Reflection

Acts 1:6-14
Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35
1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
John 17:1-11