Like many individuals I am often looking to find hope in a fallen world. Life has obstacles and sometimes they are rather difficulty to overcome so I need assurance that everything will be okay. I often find myself looking to the stars hoping that God would simply strike up a conversation with me and give me some answers to life’s great mysteries. It’s hard to “see” or even “hear” God sometimes amidst all of the day-to-day “noise” that is so distracting. Christian’s often seek out God in prayer, meditation and silence. Other times God speaks in other ways. To use a phrase in Christianese (language and terminology often used in the Conservative Evangelical circuit), God often chooses to “reveal Himself” to an individual through “His Word”. Meaning I came across a meaningful passage in the Bible.
About a month ago God put a passage on my heart. It was Revelation 21. At first I thought to myself, “How could a passage in the most apocalyptic book in the Bible apply to me in my current state?” I didn’t take the passage seriously until I walked into to church today soaking wet from the rainy Southern California sky. The worship band was playing the song “Rain Down”. Singing “rain down Your love on us, rain down your peace and cover me” instantly brought me comfort. I was very into and ever a little emo during the worship because I swear ever lyric applied to the way I was feeling tonight. I faded a bit during the talk but what I needed to hear was at the end. Francis (the pastor) wanted to end his talk with a message of hope and he read from Revelation 21. I think then it really hit me. I was so overwhelmed with emotion. It’s the sensation of feeling “broken” but at the same time overwhelmed with joy and comforted. Something was going on and it was grabbing a hold of me. Now to the words of comfort… The passage reads:
Revelation 21:1-4
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and their God. He will wipe away 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.”
Imagine that. No really close your eyes and try to visualize it. Can’t? Because I couldn’t either. I’ve tried and my three pound finite mind cannot grasp how great this new city will be! I try and imagine a glorious skyline on a NEW EARTH crafted by the Great Architect. God dwelling with us is hard to grasp. I try and imagine God taking his hand and wiping the tears of sorrow from our faces and brining us everlasting joy that only they Creator of the universe could bring. If things aren’t going so well and life feels overwhelming or depressing take comfort because HOPE lies in the Designer’s Skyline. NO CRYING. NO PAIN. NO DEATH. Take comfort in that. It’s all so overwhelming and so beautiful at the same time. We all have access to live in this new city if we choose to. This was just something that I know God put on my heart that I felt that I needed to share.
I was prepared to write this blog on this passage weeks ago. I hesitated but tonight I got that extra push. This will be the first of many blogs/poems/thoughts/photos/lyrics. I write genuinely honest thoughts about the way I view the world. I tend to write about theology, girls, boys, music, coffee, driving in the rain, good, evil, skylines, beauty, emo shiz, darkness, and superheroes. If I make you laugh, think, cry, or piss you off I’ve succeeded in bringing out some kind of emotion in you. You make have noticed the title, “December Skyline”. To me that is the most beautiful combination of words in the world…
About a month ago God put a passage on my heart. It was Revelation 21. At first I thought to myself, “How could a passage in the most apocalyptic book in the Bible apply to me in my current state?” I didn’t take the passage seriously until I walked into to church today soaking wet from the rainy Southern California sky. The worship band was playing the song “Rain Down”. Singing “rain down Your love on us, rain down your peace and cover me” instantly brought me comfort. I was very into and ever a little emo during the worship because I swear ever lyric applied to the way I was feeling tonight. I faded a bit during the talk but what I needed to hear was at the end. Francis (the pastor) wanted to end his talk with a message of hope and he read from Revelation 21. I think then it really hit me. I was so overwhelmed with emotion. It’s the sensation of feeling “broken” but at the same time overwhelmed with joy and comforted. Something was going on and it was grabbing a hold of me. Now to the words of comfort… The passage reads:
Revelation 21:1-4
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and their God. He will wipe away 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.”
Imagine that. No really close your eyes and try to visualize it. Can’t? Because I couldn’t either. I’ve tried and my three pound finite mind cannot grasp how great this new city will be! I try and imagine a glorious skyline on a NEW EARTH crafted by the Great Architect. God dwelling with us is hard to grasp. I try and imagine God taking his hand and wiping the tears of sorrow from our faces and brining us everlasting joy that only they Creator of the universe could bring. If things aren’t going so well and life feels overwhelming or depressing take comfort because HOPE lies in the Designer’s Skyline. NO CRYING. NO PAIN. NO DEATH. Take comfort in that. It’s all so overwhelming and so beautiful at the same time. We all have access to live in this new city if we choose to. This was just something that I know God put on my heart that I felt that I needed to share.
I was prepared to write this blog on this passage weeks ago. I hesitated but tonight I got that extra push. This will be the first of many blogs/poems/thoughts/photos/lyrics. I write genuinely honest thoughts about the way I view the world. I tend to write about theology, girls, boys, music, coffee, driving in the rain, good, evil, skylines, beauty, emo shiz, darkness, and superheroes. If I make you laugh, think, cry, or piss you off I’ve succeeded in bringing out some kind of emotion in you. You make have noticed the title, “December Skyline”. To me that is the most beautiful combination of words in the world…
1 comment:
you are more with it than you led me to believe;
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