Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
For this reason they are before the throne of God,
and worship him day and night within his temple,
and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.
They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them,
nor any scorching heat;
for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Lord,
I pray for those who are going through the "great ordeal".
the ordeal of separation --
hopes and dreams of marriage now no longer,
the ordeal of anguish and pain --
condemned by the world but loved by you,
the ordeal of illness --
standing beside hospital beds helpless,
while loved ones suffer, slip away, and die,
the ordeal of persecution --
torture and terror because of their faith in you Christ Jesus.
Remind them --
they are not the first to walk this path,
they are not alone,
many of the faithful have passed through the great ordeal,
Lord Jesus, you yourself,
walked this path, the via dolorosa, this way of pain.
And you walk it still, everyday, for our sake!
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil for Thou art with me."
And me too, Lord,
help me walk the path with them,
sharing in their suffering,
sharing a cup of living water with them when they are parched,
breaking the bread of life for them when they cannot for themselves,
bringing the cup of salvation to their lips when they are too weak,
praying for them when they can no longer pray.
And on that day,
"They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them,
nor any scorching heat;
for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
May it be so.
Amen.
May it be so.
___________
All Saints Day is November 1 -- a day to remember and celebrate those who have preceded us in faith.
torture and terror because of their faith in you Christ Jesus.
Remind them --
they are not the first to walk this path,
they are not alone,
many of the faithful have passed through the great ordeal,
Lord Jesus, you yourself,
walked this path, the via dolorosa, this way of pain.
And you walk it still, everyday, for our sake!
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil for Thou art with me."
And me too, Lord,
help me walk the path with them,
sharing in their suffering,
sharing a cup of living water with them when they are parched,
breaking the bread of life for them when they cannot for themselves,
bringing the cup of salvation to their lips when they are too weak,
praying for them when they can no longer pray.
And on that day,
"They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them,
nor any scorching heat;
for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
May it be so.
Amen.
May it be so.
___________
All Saints Day is November 1 -- a day to remember and celebrate those who have preceded us in faith.
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