Hope, No Matter What 

(our theme for September)

Revelation 21:4

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.

Most of Revelation is less than revelatory to me. This verse is an exception.

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes.” Haven’t we all hoped for that kind of comfort? While we may receive comfort from family and friends, can you imagine being comforted by the Creator of the universe? Wouldn’t that be the ultimate comfort? 

“Death will be no more.” Of all the hurt we experience on earth, being separated from our loved ones by death has to be one of the most painful. Yet this verse tells us it will be no more, nor will there be mourning or crying or pain. Sounds like heaven, doesn’t it? 

That is exactly heaven. What better hope can we have than the hope promised in this verse? 

I have always had a hard time with the concept of hell. I just can’t make that mesh with my understanding of a loving God. 

I do, however, think hell occurs from time to time on earth. Situations that involve cruelty are certainly hellish, and for those victimized by them, simply hell. 

But even in these hellish situations, we have hope. We have the promise that one day there will be no more death, no more mourning, no more crying, and no more pain. What a gift of hope that promise provides, especially when we are at our most vulnerable. 

Fortunately, I have seen heaven on earth, too. When I see church members provide meals through our Welcome Table on Thursday evening, I glimpse heaven. When a Sunday school class rallies around a member who has experienced death or illness, I see heaven. Whenever we serve others in Jesus’ name, we are not only acting out of that ultimate hope, we are providing that hope to others.

Let us pray. 

God, thank you for the hope you provide in assuring us that You will wipe every tear and that death mourning, crying, and pain will be no more. As we move through painful life experiences and separation from loved ones by death, remind us of the ultimate hope in our future. 

Please work through us to bring this hope to the least and the lost as we attempt to do Your will on earth. Amen. 

 

This devotional was written by Kathryn King and read by Amy Large.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.