He Will Wipe Away Every Tear

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
(Revelation 21:4)

Today is a day of solemn remembrance. An evil descended upon America and took the lives of thousands of innocent people in New York City, Washington, DC and in Shanksville, PA. Thousands of people died, and many more millions of tears were shed. Even if you are not a citizen of the United States your world is also different since that day. The Islamist’s war on the world began in earnest that day. On that day, everyone in the world was given notice that you will die if you do not believe in the false god they believe in.
I do not bring up this painful memory to instill hatred for anyone, Muslim or otherwise. To be sure, our Father in heaven loves everyone. He even loved those 19 terrorists on the planes that terrible morning. He wants us to love just as he does, without any condition or promised behavior. Jesus himself told us in Matthew 5:44 – But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Just as he loves and forgave us when he repented, he wants to do the same for everyone else, even people we call our enemies.
We are now many years from the tragedy 9/11/2001, but a vast number of people are still grieving that day, including me. There is a time coming, however, when we will mourn no more. We will not have to cry for a loved one who has passed away. We will have no more fears of death. In that day our dwelling place will be with our King. We will no longer have reasons to mourn since God will take sin, death, and pain away. They will pass away and be remembered no more.
How absolutely crazy is it to think about our God and King living right here with us? Wouldn't it be wonderful beyond description if it happened tomorrow? This happy day will not come for people who refuse to accept the gift of salvation. Deliverance is offered to all who will turn from their sins and reach out to Jesus. He longs for every one of us to come to him because he loves us. The consequence for deciding to reject his sacrifice will be horrifying and eternal. Hell will not be full of people that God didn’t want; it will be full of people who didn’t want God! Maranatha





Father God you are the great healer of our souls. We come to you on this solemn anniversary date of millions of tears, to ask for your forgiveness if we’ve felt hatred for the perpetrators of that evil. We look to your faithful compassion and endless love, Father, to comfort us in our times of sorrow. This is a very difficult day for many thousands of people, Lord. Please comfort those who still mourn the loss of a loved one. Father strengthen the resolve of those who grieve what’s happened to this country since that fateful day. Please, dear Lord, come close to our leaders and guide them on a righteous path. We pray for revival for the people of our nation, Father. Help us, as a people, to repent of our sins and turn to seek your face. We may never have been the ‘perfect’ nation, but we were once a righteous one. There was a time when we were ‘a city on a hill’ showing your light to the world. We have fallen far, Lord. We pray for restoration and renewal. Lead us back to serving you. We rejoice at knowing one day, you will dwell with us, and we will dwell with you. What a glorious day that will be when we will no longer mourn over this kind of tragedy we remember today. How foreign that will be to what life is like today. War and famine, tears and screaming, disease and death will all be things that will pass away for our daily lives. When we come before you today, help us to remember that the present sorrows and tears will fade from our memories when you make your dwelling place with us. All of our thoughts will be consumed with just being in your presence. We will finally be able to worship you face to face. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. It’s in your name, we pray. Amen!
Location: Atwood Lake Park, 9500 Lakeview Rd, Mineral City, OH 44656, USA

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