He Reigns
Bible reading
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
– Revelation 22:1-7 (NIVUK)
6 The angel said to me, ‘These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.’
7 ‘Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.’
Devotional
My husband and I had been having a chaotic month! Our jobs were demanding, and we were feeing tired and worn out. To complicate things, we also decided to renovate our kitchen and our apartment was a disaster! We had our kitchen spread out into every room. We washed dishes in the bathtub and “cooked”, well, we used our microwave in the dining room. We had plastic hung up everywhere to try and keep the dust down, but we were largely unsuccessful. The one thing we were looking forward to was using our gift from my uncle to visit him and my aunt in Costa Rica. So, in November, just as things started to get cold in Portugal, we went to Costa Rica for two weeks! We were transported from a home in chaos to ocean views, rain forests and cloud forests! We traded flying dust to flying birds of all colours and sounds. We traded cold, wet weather to warm sunny days. And we exchanged our offices to pool side splendor reading books, listening to music and eating great food. It didn’t take long for me to forget the chaos I had left behind and enjoy this new reality.
This world has been in chaos for centuries and John could see and feel the chaos every time he entered the throne room and saw the sea in front of him. But now the scene has changed, and everything has become calm and relaxing. John looks to the throne and the sea is gone but now there’s a river, a crystal-clear river that brings joy, healing and refreshment. As his eyes try and take in the view, he notices the trees that line the river, they are the tree of life, only they aren’t being guarded by angels wielding a sword, they are completely available to for everyone to approach and eat from. We will, for the first time since Adam and Eve, be able to eat freely from the tree of Life!
God and Jesus are there but sorrow and sadness are not. Light is there, but darkness is gone. Peace is there, and chaos has been banished. This isn’t a holiday resort; this is the rest of eternity! This is our home!
– Connie Main Duarte
This devotional is part of a series that helps us navigate the texts of the book of Revelation with fresh eyes. A new devotional every Saturday.
These devotionals are available in Portuguese and in English.