Here is our third devotional on the theme of abiding, from Revelation 7.13-17.
Revelation 7 is one of my favorite passages hands down. To me it is one of the most comforting images in the Bible taken from Isaiah 25.8 with God reaching out and wiping every tear from their eyes. If you take nothing else from this devotional, sit with that image for a while.
As we look at abiding, at dwelling with God today we are given a picture of a lamb who is the shepherd. We find people who have already gone through the great tribulation who are before the throne of God being sheltered by the One on the throne.
This is where our abiding language comes today. It sounds a lot like Psalm 91 and dwelling in the shelter of the Most High, resting in the shadow of the Almighty. In this case, God on the throne has pitched a tent for the people of God to dwell in, to remain and abide and be protected from all danger.
But notice the context. These people have already passed through the great tribulation. They’re in the throne room of God. They’re in the heavenly realm abiding with God.
The promise we find in the Bible about abiding with God doesn’t promise life without hardships. The promise we find in the Bible about abiding with God is that God will be with us. God will dwell with us through it all.
Earlier in Revelation it was the slaughtered Lamb who had already conquered and was worthy to take the scroll (Rev. 5). But it was the Lamb’s death, Jesus’ death on a cross that enabled him to achieve victory. Death on earth led to victory.
As we face the uncertainty of the coronavirus may you be strengthened in knowing that to abide with God, to abide in love is to trust in the promise that God is with you.
The Bible started with God dwelling with His people in a garden. Jesus came to dwell with us in John 1.14, and the ultimate reality we are looking forward to is that sweet reunion where heaven and earth are reunited and the home of God is among us again and God will dwell with us and we will be His people and God will wipe every tear from our eyes (Rev. 21.3-4).
“Abide with Me”
Grace and Peace to you, Amen.