The Hope of Redeemed Tears
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. Revelation 21:4
It’s the day after Father’s Day but it’s far from being a Fatherless day for us. In fact this gospel-sanity devo focuses on a most wonderful and tender aspect of our Father’s love for each of his children. As we continue to ponder the Apostle John’s vision of the life we will enjoy forever and ever, come to the image of the tear wiping hand of God. It’s truly stunning that the first action attributed to our heavenly Father on our inaugural day in the new heaven and new earth is the wiping of every tear from our eyes. What amazing compassion and tenderness.
In the Greek of this verse, the image is much richer than what is conveyed in the English translation. Literally the text says that God will wipe every tear out of our eyes, not merely off of our cheeks. The implied meaning is the redeeming of the stories behind the tears. Our Father is neither embarrassed nor irritated with our weeping. He acknowledges and validates our tears-that is the losses, the betrayals, the confusion, the pain, the heartache/heartbreaks like no one else.
As much as we would love to have understanding and closure on all, many, or even some of our hardest stories and deepest sorrow right now, we at least have the blessed certainty that one Day our knowing in part will be done away with. When the tear wiping hand of our Father finally and most certainly and fully redeems all of our mourning and pain, then we will say with full-throated full-hearted worship, “Our God has done all things well! Indeed, our Father has worked in all things for his glory and our good! He has worked all things together after the counsel of his will! Blessed be the name of our God… Father, Son and Holy Spirit!”
Until then, the tear-wiping hand of God already reaches to us in the gospel that it might reach through us to others. Don’t waste your sorrows on bitterness or pity-parties. Don’t despise the tears of others, or your own tears. Love mercy, and become merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful. Your brokenness is an aqueduct through which the grace and kindness of Jesus will flow most readily, as we make ourselves ready for the Day.
