Devotion Booklets for Seasons of the Church Year 2016 | Page 20

Saturday—December 10th

New Heavens and a New Earth
Isaiah 65:17-19
Ask any parent, “Did I cry a lot when I was a baby?” It’s surprising how, as parents, you can
forget so many things about your children’s life. But one moment that is seared in a parents
memory is the day or night their child could not stop crying. In that moment of complete
helplessness, they send urgent prayers that God would bring comfort to the screaming child.
The screaming continues and the father who has “had enough” of two hours of crying, asks
mom to hold the child. The child who is literally exhausted from crying still makes little yelps
because she doesn’t feel good.
We enter the world with cries, and often, we leave this world with cries. Crying, sadness, and
pain are part of the human experience! You know that well. Yet, Isaiah describes a place
without any cries, ever. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound
of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.
Heaven is a place without tears. There is literally nothing to be sad about: there is no sickness
or hurt, because sin has been removed. There is no heartache or pain, because we live with
God who cares for us perfectly. There are no funerals or deaths, because those “former things”
have passed away, Isaiah says.
Can you imagine an experience where you’ll never need to cry again? It is hard to imagine… but
one day, soon, it will be our reality. God will gather us from this vale of tears and take us to His
new Jerusalem, the Golden City in Heaven, where we will enjoy delight and rejoicing for all of
our days.
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, we look forward to the day you will rescue us from this evil world and bring
us to our Heavenly Home. Preserve us in faith through your Word and Spirit that we hold
firmly to your promises. Comfort us with the picture of a Heavenly Jerusalem when we suffer
tears in this life.
ACTIVITY:
Have the family gather around the piano (or just YouTube the melody if you don’t have a piano
or can’t play it) and sing Jerusalem the Golden (Christian Worship #214 or Chr