Pastoral Pings ~ Scrolling Through the Comforts of God

          I find great comfort in looking at the book of Revelation through the promise of its introductory blessing: “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.”[1] I read it aloud in our church gatherings, hear what it has to say to me in my daily time with God, and meditate on how to put into practice the teachings and reminders it contains. For those of us who can do no more than this, God promises his blessing nonetheless.

          Today this was made clear to me when I discovered how graciously the pictures of this book minister to our hearts when we can’t give much thought to the descriptive words of doctrine, or the finer nuances of prophetic interpretation. I realized in a fresh way that the symbols are worth a thousand words when no words come to mind whatsoever.

          Instead, there is a great assurance that comes to our hearts when we feel stretched and pressured beyond what we can bear, when circumstances taunt us with challenges about the faithfulness of God and the promises of Jesus’ coming, and suddenly the pictures of Revelation come to our minds-eye with a simplicity that is exactly what we need.

          As my day began with heavy thoughts of grief for my own failings, and concern for the troubles and heartaches of others, I realized that my mind was telling my heart to look to the pictures of the Book. It was similar to the psalm-writer’s appeal, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”[2]

          To speak hope into my soul, my mind replayed the very things that had been flooding my heart with joy the past few days. I saw the picture of one sitting on the throne, centering the whole universe, and the whole of the spiritual realm. I saw that he had a scroll in his right hand where no one could touch it, and that this scroll was written on both sides with words that no one could change.

          Then the spotlight expanded to include the one who was standing before the throne, the one who appeared like a lamb that had been slain, very much alive, crowned with authority to express all that the one on the throne had willed. And yet, while looking like a Lamb that had been slain, I remembered that this was also the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David, the conquering Savior.[3]

          All of this was a profound comfort to me for two reasons. One was that this revelation of God was exactly what I needed to turn my soul back to the supremacy of hope in God (much better than the other things I had been thinking).

          The other was that I felt a deeper appreciation for why Revelation is given to us in so many pictures. There are days when even a thousand words of doctrine do little to comfort a downcast soul. It is then that we need this book full of pictures to shine into our hearts where words cannot reach, and remind us of what things really look like from the view of the one who sits on the throne.

          From my heart,

          Monte

 

© 2014 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com

Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.)

 

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[1] Revelation 1:3

[2] Psalm 42:11

[3] Revelation 5:5