A New "Old" Song

And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!

Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed." - Revelation 15:3-4 There's something so comfortable about the familiar. Perhaps your familiar is the smell of your childhood home, cookies baking in the oven by your sweet mother who always has one of those black and white films playing in the background. Or maybe familiar is the sound of your loved one pulling into the garage after work each day. Familiar may just be the most comfy pair of pajamas you've ever owned (I may be sporting mine right now... You'll never know.) Familiar may look different but seems to remind us that we are all just looking for a bit of normalcy. We just want to know what to expect and when to expect it.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard sermons about heaven. The splendor and majesty is more than I can comprehend. Even though human words are so limited to describe it, I find myself pining for my everlasting home.

But can I be REAL honest here? Like free from the jaw dropping and judgement? For some reason, heaven - as wonderful as it sounds - is kind of intimidating to me. Not in a "I don't want to go there" kind of way, but it's so different than anything I've ever known... What am I going to do there forever? I know I'll enjoy it and that my finite comprehension couldn't possibly grasp an inch of the place where God himself resides. 

And then I read Revelation 15:3-4. 

You see, the praise chorus being sung here goes all the way back to Genesis! It originated shortly after ALL the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea (ON DRY LAND). They gave thanks to God and praised him for a successful journey. 

Fast forward, eh, 600+ years and we encounter John, a disciple of Jesus, and no doubt a believer in the Scriptures (which at that time was Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.) He was familiar with the stories and the songs of the faith - a lot like when we hear a great hymn passed down through generations. When the Lord told him to write down these words, I'm sure a smile creeped across his face like "Hey! I know that one!"

You see, throughout the book of Revelation and during the time of Christ, much of what was being prophesied wasn't exactly understandable. John probably scratched his head a couple of times trying to figure out what words God was inspiring him to write. 

Then comes a song he knows. He's familiar with this one. There is a peace that not ALL things are new. He can rest knowing that the God he's been singing about for years is real. 

God knows what we need, and I think He delights in those small details that help our limited minds grasp a little of what to expect. 

Yes, heaven is beyond our comprehension. It's more magnificent than words can describe. Notice how many times in Revelation, John uses "and I saw something like...". We'll join the Angels in praising the Lord every day. It will be nothing like we've ever known before. But I think we can expect to see a couple of familiar faces and hear some sounds we've heard before. 

It's comforting really. God does make all things new, but He does it in a way that takes our familiar and makes it heavenly. He's making a very old song, very new.