Tears are unavoidable
“And He will destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the LORD has spoken.” Isaiah 25:7-8
It is written in the book of Revelation, “I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away’” (Revelation 21:3-4). We find the same topic in Isaiah 25, but have we ever thought about why both John and Isaiah talk about the day when God will wipe all tears away?
It moved me when I realised how important it is for God to write this message on our hearts. There will be a day when our tears will be wiped away, and it will be HE himself who does it! This indeed means that God knows there will be tears, and that tears are evidently a part of the work for God’s kingdom. However, this is not what we imagine and hope for – who would want to be put in a situation where tears are shed? Even if we want to avoid it, this is reality. There will be tears in a life lived for God. Nevertheless, there is an incredible promise: a day will come on which God will wipe away our tears. In other words, a day of final and absolute consolation. God is saying to us, “The time is coming for you to be completely comforted and consoled.”
This devotional is taken from the book To See God by Marcel Rebiai. If you would like to order your own copy, please email us here, [email protected].
Marcel Rebiai is a board member of Revive Israel, and is inspiration for our community. Marcel was born in Algiers in 1953. He came to Switzerland as a war orphan and received faith in Jesus in his youth, which changed his life and made him a messenger of God’s love in Jesus. Since then, he has been faithfully working for the building of the community of Messiah. Marcel is the founder of the “Community of Reconciliation”, an organization that works for reconciliation between Jews and Arabs based on God’s forgiveness and love in Christ. Marcel teaches in various settings around the world about the love that God revealed to us in Jesus, a love that enables reconciliation. Marcel has been living in Jerusalem for the last 30 years, is married to Regula, and has four children and eleven grandchildren.
