Zechariah 12-13 / Revelation 19 / Psalm 147 / Proverbs 31:1-7
There are times when I’m reading my Bible and my heart soars, tears come to my eyes and there’s a huge lump in my throat. The scene being described can overwhelm me with expectation and joy, especially at the thought of seeing Jesus face to face. I came upon a portion of scripture today that did just that. It had my insides jumping up and down.
Revelation 19:11-16 in the New Living Translation (NLT)says, “Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On his robe at his thighwas written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.”
I’m so excited reading and imagining this scene that I can’t stand it! With that first sentence in verse eleven, I thought of the scene from the Lord of the Rings movie, The Two Towers when Gandalf comes over the hill on a white horse just as the sun is rising. Up until that point, King Theoden and his army were being overrun as they attempted to defend Helm’s Deep. But when Gandalf appeared, the battle turned.
And when the One who is Faithful and True, the one who is the Word of God, the One who is King of all kings and Lord of all lords returns, our battles will be done! Can you imagine that day! Imagining His return gives us hope to continue to stand, fight, and believe.
We cannot allow ourselves to give up when we become tired in the fight. Yes, we will get tired, frustrated, confused, and even lonely at times. However, that is when we need to remember there is a big picture to the story of our lives. We are here for such a short time, then the next generation will come, then the next. Then when the time is right, Jesus will appear and take His people to live with Him.
Galatians 6:7-9 in The Passion Translation, (TPT), is helpful when considering how to live daily: “God will never be mocked! For what you plant will always be the very thing you harvest. The harvest you reap reveals the seed that you planted. If you plant the corrupt seeds of self-life into this natural realm, you can expect a harvest of corruption. If you plant the good seeds of Spirit-life you will reap beautiful fruits that grow from the everlasting life of the Spirit.
And don’t allow yourselves to be weary in planting good seeds, for the season of reaping the wonderful harvest you’ve planted is coming!”
So, while we wait for His return, let’s plant good seeds of life in the Spirit. While we’re planting, let’s not allow ourselves to become discouraged or tired because if we continue to be faithful, a blessing will follow. Go grab your gloves and your shovel and get to work!
