“Peace be still; you are here, so it is well. Even when my eyes can’t see, I will trust the voice that speaks.”
This is the song on my heart as I read this chapter today. Hope Durst’s latest song remind us that we are called to be faithful to God’s word, even when we can’t see him. As we have talked about the previous few chapters of this book in the Bible, everything on this earth will be stripped away when we enter heaven. All the bad, all the suffering, all the hatred. Matthew Henry says, “Death will strip is of the clothing of flesh, and all the comforts of life, as well as end all our troubles here below. But believing souls shall be clothed with garments of praise, with robes of righteousness and glory. (1)”
Those faithful ones who have passed have shed their mortal clothes, their temporary dwelling, but put on “garments of praise.” They have let go of their earthly burdens and get to live in eternity with Jesus. And one day, we, too, shall have that celebration in heaven as we are called to our final home. Though I hope it is not a time soon, I do believe we need to live our lives as if we are preparing for this trip. Just as any vacation takes preparation (get the right clothes, accessories, money for food, etc.), this earthly life is our preparation for heaven. We can be living it daily like we have a list that we need to complete to be worthy of the trip to see Jesus. And we have that list in God’s word.
Living as a Christian isn’t easy. Here in America, it is easier than some other countries. At least we are free to walk around quoting the Bible to others. Not that quoting the Bible is the only way to show God to people. I’m just saying that we have the ability to show our faith much more openly here. In China, they had to have church underground for a while. Christians were arrested and jailed for public displays of their beliefs. Iran had similar bouts with arresting Christians, as well as receiving lashes and open (public) punishment. And I’m not talking about hundreds of years ago. I’m talking about 2018. There are several countries under Religious oppression, where it is not ok to be a Christian. So, here in America, where it is, we should know God has us here for a reason. And trust in his voice that we are called for a greater goal than we realize.
God is trying to prepare us. To receive the Eucharist at Sunday Mass, we must clean and shape our hearts through confession. In the same way, He is shaping us while we are on earth so we can be clean and pure for heaven. He has given us ways to live our lives in Christ. He has told us to show others our faith in our works and the way we live. What are some ministries in the community near you that could use help? Maybe reaching out to them to see how you can serve them is a way to walk in faith. He isn’t with us physically so we can see, so we have to rely on him with our faith. We must trust the voice that speaks in our hearts. One day, we will no longer have to walk in faith and we will see his glory in the true presence. But until then,
2 Corinthians 5:7 “Walk by faith and not by sight.”
No comments:
Post a Comment