Lord, I'm Hurting!

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. Revelation 21:4 (NIV)

There is more than one way to hurt.  Mental anguish, spiritual pain, physical agony. Even the strongest of us can be brought to tears by suffering.  Mental anguish becomes illness, spiritual pain robs us of our joy and can harden the soul if we allow it, and some physical illnesses can have dire consequences for the flesh.

What we see in the world today is not what God originally intended for His Creation. We weep at funerals because mankind was intended to live forever (Genesis 2:17).  We suffer with sickness because everything was at first good and perfect in His eyes (Genesis 1:31).  We suffer in our spirits because all of have sinned (Romans 3:23). One Of the most frequently asked questions3 from skeptics and believers alike is “Why did God allow this?”

But instead, Jesus reveals here to John the Revelator the solution to the question. Because Christ suffered, died, and resurrected Himself bodily from the grave (John 2:19), He shines the brightness of His Holiness on this passing age and all its temporary woe. 

The question mark behind “Why?” should be changed to the exclamation point of "How!" That He somehow allowed it due to Adam’s and Eve’s sin is eclipsed by the how He will heal the curse mankind brought on itself and all Creation.  In this He truly is the great physician.

Hurting hurts, there’s no getting around it.  But one day it will not be dimmed by age.  No, it will be totally forgotten and made new (Isaiah 65:17, Revelation 21:1).  Death will become its own final victim (Revelation 20:14), and the Father of the ages will comfort us Himself as He wipes away our tears, giving us a completely clear view of His beautiful face.

Ken