“I (Jesus) am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave”(and of everything else). Rev. 1:18
Lord Jesus, I’ve seriously thought about buying one (several) of those little finder-chips to put on my key fob, so I can locate it with my iPhone. Fortunately, you don’t lose stuff—neither us for eternity, nor anything else.
You gave the apostle John these three peace-anchoring words—“I have the keys,” at a time when it looked like peace, hope, and the future, were all about to get permanently lost. Hallelujah, the keys that matter most aren’t in the hand of a teenager, chance, evil, or any man or empire. The keys to “death and the grave,” history and hope are securely in your hand—just like we are, and just as “unsnatchable” (John 10:28-30).
We don’t have to fear getting older, the next global “whatever,” implosion of our life-long dreams, spy balloons, or personal catastrophes. You have the keys, Jesus, because you are the key—the source, sum, substance, sustainer, “song,” and Savior of all. “All authority in heaven and on earth” belong to you (Matt. 28:18).
The implications of these affirmations are measureless, fear-sabotaging, and hope-fueling. History is your storyboard of redemption and restoration. You have the keys, Jesus… along with the steering wheel, GPS, chosen route, and perfectly timed arrival date.
Forgive us for whining like 4-year-olds in the back seat. “Are we there yet?” You aren’t slow to keep your promises, but merciful—redeeming more and more, all the way into the new heaven and new earth. So Very Amen.
