LOOKING FOR THAT

DAY OF REJOICING!

As I was writing this piece, I was looking out the window and watching billowing clouds, heavy and dark.  The sun comes out and then goes behind the clouds. Along the horizon, to the west, there are layers and layers of thick clouds. The showers come with a little bit of hail. Then the sun shines through the clouds.  You all have seen that kind of day, especially in mid- winter, as it was when I wrote this blog.

I remember as a small child there was an old picture on the wall of my grandma’s house, with dark clouds and the sun shining through, and I thought it was a picture of what the day would be like when Jesus came back.  We were taught in our church that Jesus was coming at any time. Even as a little girl I understood that.  And on cloudy days, like today, I would get all excited thinking that this was the day that Jesus was coming back.  Here I am now in my senior years, still looking at the clouds and wondering if this is the day!

Then my mind goes back over the past week and the people I have visited, the prayer requests received, and am reminded of the dark clouds in peoples’ lives.  On some days, it seems the sun comes out, and they are blessed, then another day, pain and sickness may come and bow them down.  Sometimes it seems they cannot see through the rain and storm around them.  But we who love the Lord have a hope within us, a great day is coming when those clouds will roll back and we will see our Beloved Savior face to face.  Oh, Praise the Lord!

I look upon those clouds on a day like today and try to imagine what it will be like to see Him step though those clouds of Heaven.   The disciples in Acts, Chapter One, saw Him leave with clouds and the Angels there said He would return in the same manner.  But I wonder if the clouds He returns with will be the saints returning with Him?  Oh, what a joyful day that will be!

 WHEN WE ALL GET TO HEAVEN

“Sing the wondrous love of Jesus, sing His mercy and His grace; in the mansions bright and blessed, He’ll prepare for us a place.

When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be!  When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory.

While we walk the pilgrim pathway, clouds will over spread the sky; but when trav’ling days are over, not a shadow not a sigh.

Let us then be true and faithful, trusting, serving every day; just one glimpse of Him in glory will the toils of life repay.

Onward to the prize before us! Soon His beauty we’ll behold; soon the pearly gates will open, we shall tread the streets of gold.”  (Eliza E. Hewitt)

“In my Father’s house are many mansions:  if it were not so I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also” John 14:2-3.

Yes, dear friends, let us sing and rejoice and look heavenward, for He has gone to prepare us a mansion, and promises to come again and receive us to Himself, to be with forever.  And our minds cannot fathom what glories He has prepared for us! “For it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.  I Corinthians 2:9.

Yes, we are walking a pilgrim pathway.  And sometimes that pathway is steep and narrow, and dark clouds over shadow our way.  There may be rocks of fear and doubt, pain and suffering.  The winds may howl around us, but someday those traveling days will be over, we won’t sigh any more in pain, or face days of shadow and darkness.  For some of us traveling days may be over soon.  For others of us we may be the ones who meet Him in the sky, what a blessed thought!

So we are called to be faithful in our service to Him.  He calls us to be faithful in prayer, be faithful in reading God’s Word, and walking close to Him.  “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen.  For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever” 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NLT).  Just one glimpse of His dear face, and all the troubles and trials of this life here will fade away!

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day:  and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” 2 Timothy 4:7-9.

And what is the prize before us?  It is to be able to say that we have finished the race, the pilgrim journey here, kept the faith.  And there is promised to us a crown of righteousness.  It will be given to all those who love Him and anxiously awaiting His appearing.

And I like to imagine what it will be like when millions upon millions of saints see His face for the first time.  The shout of joy and the shout of victory will “shake the universe.”  Oh, what a glorious day!

I pray, as you read this, that you have this hope within your heart.  If you do not know Jesus as your Savior, ask Him right now to come into your heart and prepare you for that blessed day, so you, too, will be among the saints as they see His face and be with Him forever!

In Jesus’ Name,

Pastor Sharon