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Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Pastoral Pings ~ The Symphonic Harmony of the Cross-Reference

          As promised, a new day leads us further in our walk with God, and deeper into his thoughts. This morning left me with the feeling David described as, How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand.”[1]
          What confronted me is that, there are so many cross-references to the description of the sixth seal,[2] it is like layering line upon line of harmony all around the melody of this revelation. The melody line sings for itself; but the parallel Scriptures add thoughts that harmonize so beautifully with this tune that the weight of the stanza falls even heavier upon our hearts.
          Journeying through the Revelation Museum as a Gentile traveler has left me wondering how the Jewish believers of the first century heard what was read aloud. I try to picture an early church congregation listening to what was read, and everyone working together to put into practice what God revealed.[3] I imagine that the Jewish believers would have quickly recognized the connection between passages in Revelation and passages in their previous Scriptures, what we Gentiles call the Old Testament. I wonder what it would have been like to have discussions after church and hear my Jewish brothers explain how what we just heard caused so many other Scriptures to pop into their heads.
          For me, I have to rely on referencing-tools to guide me to applicable passages. Sometimes there are few cross-references; today there were many. I know in my heart that all the notes sounded amazing together, but I will have to listen to this strain of music a while longer to see how to write the musical notation.
          The essence of today’s time with God was that my heavenly Father has much more to say on this passage than yesterday’s introductory meditations revealed. It was like entering the throne room of God, where God’s thoughts are so much higher than our own that we could not possibly expect to ever think them all, and his ways are so much higher than our own that we could never expect to be everywhere he is, joining everything he is doing.[4]
          Rather, there is a symphony of the kingdom of heaven. It is playing in perfect timing to the Conductor of the universe. His baton sweeps his thoughts into music so that his Church, throughout the world, down to the most inconspicuous member of the body of Christ in any location, can hear their part of the score, sing the notes that are set before them, and know that it is creating a sound of harmonies that are, literally, out of this world.
          Tomorrow I will begin exploring the cross-references to the melody of the sixth seal. Today I will enjoy the sound of the God-song as it settles into my soul. I already know it will be some expression of what brother Zephaniah wrote many centuries ago: “The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”[5]
          The wonder of wonders is that, God invites his children to sing along!

© 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.)



[1] Psalm 139:17-18
[2] Revelation 6:12-17
[3] Revelation 1:3
[4] Isaiah 55:9
[5] Zephaniah 3:17

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