Happy Friday, everyone!
On Sunday night, I went with my oldest son to watch the Denver Broncos play the [Los Angeles] Rams in Denver. And if you happened to catch the game, you know it was an incredible night, especially if you’re a Broncos fan, which I am.
I grew up in Denver, but most of the Broncos games I’ve attended over the years, lately, has been in opposing teams’ stadiums. Whether I was in Chicago, Oakland, San Diego, Los Angeles, or Texas, I was usually surrounded by people cheering for the other side.
But Sunday night was different. Everywhere I looked, there was orange and blue. There were a few opposing fans scattered throughout the stadium, but overwhelmingly, we were there for the same reason, for the same team. We were cheering for that team together, and when something great happened on the field, we celebrated together.
And somewhere in the middle of all of that, I started thinking about heaven.
In this world, we know what it feels like to be surrounded by opposition. Our faith isn’t always welcomed. Our values aren’t always shared. Sometimes following Jesus leaves us feeling like we don’t really quite fit in. We see suffering, division, and evil, and we pray for God’s light to shine into the darkness. And some days the darkness seems really loud.
But one day, that opposition is going to be gone forever. No more resistance to God’s goodness. No more sin tearing people apart. No more deaths separating us from those we love will simply be gathered with God’s people fully at home in His presence, united in praise. Can you imagine?
The other thing that struck me Sunday night was the roar of the crowd. After a touchdown or a great play. The sounds seemed to rise from every direction. You could hear it, but you also could feel it. Thousands of voices all celebrating together.
And that reminded me of this verse in Revelation 19:6: “Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters, and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, ‘Hallelujah for the LORD our God, the Almighty reigns.’”
John describes a multitude whose praise sounds like roaring waters and mighty thunder.
“Hallelujah for the LORD our God, the Almighty reigns!”
I can hardly imagine what that’s going to sound like, but I know why we’re going to be singing. Jesus has conquered sin and death. The Savior who went to the cross for us and rose again, will gather us into a joy that nothing can interrupt. No one will ever be able to take away.
And here’s a certainty that you can carry into this weekend. The LORD your God reigns right now, even when the opposition is loud. Even when suffering weighs heavily on our hearts. Even when we can’t see how things might possibly work out, His reign is certain. His love holds us. And through faith in Jesus, we already belong to Him.
And when the clock does hit zero in that final quarter of this world, we already know who wins.
Sunday night, I enjoyed being surrounded by people cheering for my team. One day, I will stand among that great multitude, surrounded by the people of God and will be lifting my voice among the others in a roar of praise together, because Jesus reigns!
What a day that will be!
Prayer
LORD Jesus, as we go through this world, we do face opposition, and sometimes it feels like we just don’t belong here. And in many ways, You’ve told us that’s true. This world is not our home. And what incredible thought it is for us today to pause and to think about what it’s going to be like to be in heaven, where that opposition is gone forever. Yet Your reign is still here today for us right now. And so, would You lift us up as we go into this weekend? Allow us to feel the strength of Your victory, even in the face of opposition. May it sustain us. May we continue to encourage others in this walk that we are in — in this world — and keep us faithful until that day when we will see You face to face and together with all the saints. We will lift our praise, singing, “Jesus, You reign, You reign!” Thank you, God, for Your victory. You reign. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.
Final Thought
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