Heaven and harps. Bob, before he became a Christian, used to mock the idea. “Who wants to sit around all day playing a harp?”
Where does this image come from? Today’s verses give one source: “And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty!’” (Revelation 15:2-3a, NKJV)
“Harps of God” might be different from the harps we know, but what interests me is that we will be singing about the great things the Lord has done. Each day we enjoy His grace and mercy, often without realizing it. I can hardly imagine putting every instance of God’s works into one song and then singing it together with all those who have overcome sin and every spiritual enemy.
What will be included in that song? Surely the stories of each person’s salvation, of God’s intervention in history, of battles won because of His aid, of wounds mended and sickness healed, of sorrows comforted and lives changes, and every answered prayer, small and large.
We had one exciting answer to our prayers just this week. We’ve been praying for a young fellow who has a drug addiction and cannot stay out of jail. He turned 18 this month so we knew the next arrest would land him in adult prison, not juvenile detention. We prayed that God would somehow impress upon him the seriousness of what he is doing, and his need to get his life together. We dreaded what could happen if he wound up incarcerated with older men.
Sure enough, he was arrested again, this time for offenses committed when he was still under 18. He would go back to a juvenile facility, but before he was sent to detention he was placed in an adult facility for five days. His cell mate was a huge man with a huge appetite. By intimidation, this man ate all the food served to the two of them. The terrified young fellow didn’t eat for five days. When they moved him, he told a visitor, “I never, ever want to go there again.” He may not realize it, but worse things could have happened. God allowed this much, and in answer to our prayers, this boy is now making plans to get clean.
So I figure that heavenly group with the harps will not be bored in the slightest. They will share their stories, and just from the things I know about God, it will be not only utterly fascinating, but take a good part of forever.
No comments:
Post a Comment