Our Story

They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Revelation 22:4

IT WAS MUCH too early in the morning. Slowly slipping downstairs after a half-slept night, I reached the worn couch and sunk myself into its sunken spot. Outside, the inky-black sky matched my heart. Depressed. Sullen. Uncertain.

My older son, who has Crohn’s disease, had a flare-up last night, and I felt helpless. All I could think was, What are the answers? What is the next step? What do we do?

Desperately turning the pages of my worn Bible, I sought comfort. Perspective. Hope. At the end of my rope, I turned to the end of my Bible.

The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 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. . . . 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 22:2-5, NIV

Sitting there, I felt just like a girlfriend of mine in my book club. She routinely takes the new book for the month, turns to the end, and reads the last page. Sometimes (gasp!) even the entire last chapter. She creates her own spoiler alert and keeps the ending in the back of her mind as she reads the story. I’ve always found this a ridiculous way to read a book. Until this morning.

Because my soul needed the ending.

I read this passage over and over and over. I needed to know that the whole travail of human history adds up to this: leaves that heal, curses lifted, servants serving, foreheads stamped, and darkness lifted. This is not just any story. This is our story. Our story of healing, identity, and light.

There are certainly dark nights when we feel helpless. But though we are helpless, we are not hopeless. We know the ending: The King wins. He comes in victory and He reigns with light. He rides in on a horse and brings His bride home. He heals every single nation, He puts His name on our foreheads so we never forget who we are, and He gives us His light to stand in forever.

I have taken to reading the end of my Bible often. I am reading it to my children, friends, anyone who will listen, because it gives me such hope. Such confidence. Our diseases and demons and darkness are not our destiny. No, our ending is full of glory, power, truth, light, and hope. Let this be the backdrop to our battles and bruises: The King wins, and because of that so do we.

GRACE REFLECTION: Which need is speaking to you today? A need for healing? Identity? Light? Ask God to show you the redeemed picture of the helpless feeling you have today.