The Messenger

Here we are entering the month of May. In the past week we got a taste of spring. The temperatures have become more seasonal. We’ve been able to dispose of jackets and hats. Tulips, daffodils and other spring flowers are in bloom. It’s a delight to see and feel God’s hand at work.

Spring time is like a new world dawning; everything becomes new again. Although it pales by comparison, I think springtime might give us a foretaste of the vision Jesus gave the apostle John in Revelation 21:1-6.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away...

If you are a morning person I expect you are revelling in the fact that the days are getting longer. There is something magnificent about being outdoors in the solitude of a new day, while much of the world has yet to awaken; to be in God’s presence as He breathes life into a new day.

But this is where John’s vision of a new heaven and a new earth far exceeds our vision of a new day – for on the new earth we will not just feel we are in God’s presence but...

... God himself will be with them and be their God.

We are truly blessed with the distinction between the seasons. Moving through the seasons is like moving through life. The older we get, the quicker the seasons change. Youth don’t see it that way. There is so much living ahead of them. Sixty, 70 or 80 years seems like an eternity when you are young. They may have little concern now but there will be a new heaven and a new earth waiting for them.

As we know, time moves on and seasons do change.

It gives me great joy to spend time each week with some of the seniors in the Town of Lakeshore. These folks are entering the fall and winter of their lives. Now, 70 or 80 years doesn’t seem so long anymore. When the time comes there will be a new heaven and new earth waiting.

Then there are shocking instances where we find friends and family thrown into the reality that their loved one may not have the same opportunity to enjoy the fullness of each season. Tragically, through accident or illness; reasons we may not comprehend – people find themselves in life threatening situations.

But all is not lost. Take prayer very seriously because there is power in the name of Jesus. I encourage you to always pray with faith in Jesus’ name – for those who suffer in mind, body or spirit. God has the power and the plan. He has the power to heal and the plan to save, so either way they are safe. There is a new heaven and a new earth waiting.

Rev-21:4 He will wipe 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."

Although we may feel we are in control of our life on a daily basis, we cannot control the seasons of our life any more than we can control the seasons of the year.

We can rest however, in the knowledge that God has a plan already in place and He is in control.

Rev-21:6 He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.

Death does not have the last word – God does. – S.D.G.