“He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” (Revelation 21:4)
Can you imagine a place warm with the light of His face, where your eyes never feel the dryness of endless tears? An environment where pain is not present, better yet, it is nonexistent! You’re light as a feather in the freedom of a life with no weights. A place where the phone will never ring with bad news on the other line; where you will never feel those aches in your heart that bring you to your knees. There is perfection on every level; peace in the purest form imaginable. Never again will you fall, miss the mark, cry yourself to sleep, lose someone you love or even question. Laughter and joy are the emotions replacing the grief and pain we now feel. Hope and love are so tangible you could touch them. Your heart is filled to the brim and no matter how much you pour your worship out on Him, it never runs out. There will be no need for the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give be the brightest light. No darkness. Never again would you desire or need anything. You will be, in every way possible, complete.
Never have I wanted to be in this place more than today. Sometimes this life is just too hard and filled with too much pain. Just a few nights ago I got a call that caused my heart to pause in it’s beats. A precious little angel had nearly drowned in the pool and his sweet life was on the line. Tears began streaming down my face. After sobbing for a while, a fire lit inside me and I hit my knees. For the next 48 hours I fasted and prayed. I looked up every scripture on healing I could find. This little boy was going to live and not die; God was going to work a miracle, I knew it! I was already envisioning getting the call that he’s awake, laughing and calling for his mom. My spirits were lifted and my faith was high. I spread word to all I knew to join me in this prayer fight for Ryland. Last night, I put on some worship music and began to intercede for him. I fell asleep fighting in the spirit for this precious one.
When I woke, I felt refreshed and full of hope and then I saw the text. Ryland passed away while I had been sleeping. NO! No, no, no, no, no! I began screaming this in my head. Anger rushed in like a flood and I was furious. How could this happen? Why did God let his life be taken? Where are you, GOD?! Tears began pouring down my face and I began to weep. The pain in my heart was too much to bear; I thought it would be crushed. I wanted to be there, in that magical and wondrous place where the word pain was no longer in my vocabulary.
Many things in life I do not understand. This is one of them. I’ve been taught from birth that God is a healer. I’ve read dozens of scriptures that prove this to be true. I have seen miracles take place in front of my very eyes. Why not now? Why not him? Those are just some of the questions in my mind and answers I unfortunately do not have.
Ryland, you are someone I now envy. You are smiling at the face of our King right this moment. You are filled with the utmost peace, love and joy ever to be desired. You feel no pain and you will not shed another tear. You’re whole and perfect in every way possible. You know Him in a way the rest of us only dream of. You’re at home. Although I wish you were still here living this life you were cheated, I know that nothing – literally nothing – could be better than what you are experiencing now.
As for the rest of us left here to mourn his loss, I pray for the comfort only God can bring will fill your lives. There really are no words I could possibly say to make the pain you are feeling any better. But there is a peace that surpasses our understanding, and that is what I pray over you tonight. Somehow, in some way, may this tragedy bring people to know the God that is holding Ryland right now.
