On a recent trip, my husband and I kept reminding one another that the challenges traveling brings, primarily with increased chronic pain symptoms, are #worthit. Making memories and seeing loved ones face-to-face have far outweighed the discomforts of travel.
Beloved in Christ, seeing Jesus as He is, face-to-face (1 Jn. 2:2-3) when He returns is the greatest #worthit song we could sing in our current time of redemption! It will be His final “trip” to this fallen world!
It will be worth it all
when we see Jesus!
(“It Will Be Worth It All,” Rusthoi, E. K., 1941)
Do you know that gospel song? The lyrics are under copyright so I won’t write them out, but this week’s praise interruption reminds us of a Christian’s glorious hope as we suffer. Because we are united with Christ…
And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed (Dan. 7:14 BSB).
In an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed (1 Cor. 15:52 BSB)!
In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he begins to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, just as He proclaimed to His servants the prophets (Rev. 10:7 BSB)…
For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect (Mt. 24:44 BSB).
It will be worth it all when Jesus visibly returns
Lord Jesus,
When we’re tempted to complain, to doubt that Your coming could happen any day, to despair that our suffering Will. Never. End, fill our imaginations with sure hope in Your promised return…
on the day [You] come to be glorified in [Your] saints and regarded with wonder by all who have believed (2 Thess. 1:10)!
Reduce our sight on our suffering;
increase our sight on You, Lord Jesus, as we eagerly await You,
lost in wonder, love, and praise!
It will be worth it all, so help each of us to keep running the race with our eye on You, the prize!
You promised us:
“In just a little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay.”
Eternal timing differs from ours, so help us persevere in doing Your will: living by faith, casting off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles us, not shrinking back, and not throwing away our confidence (Heb. 10:35-37; 12:1 BSB).
You know this is hard, Jesus! So, You tell us how we can endure sufferings…
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb. 12:2 BSB).
This has already happened: ascended and enthroned, Lord! And now, You wait for Your enemies “to be made a footstool” for Your feet. You wait, while we are being sanctified (Heb. 10:12-14).
Help us to see You, seated on Your throne, Good Shepherd.
By fixing on You with spiritual eyes, help us to…
remain in [You], so that when [You] appear, we may be confident and unashamed before [You] at [Your] coming (1 Jn. 2:28 BSB).
You’ve given us hope for the day when Your bride receives the comfort of Your coming!
Help our unbelief, Lord! Give us eyes of hope as You prepare us to see You, our Bridegroom!
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him….We who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise.
After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:14-17 BSB, emphasis added).
At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other (Mt. 24:30-31 BSB)!
Give us resurrection hope for the promised last chapter of Your glorious love story already written for us! Fill us with gratitude, awe, and wonder as we seek to share Your gospel love story with others…right now. So that they may have this same hope. In Your name, Lord of lords and King of kings, amen.
Therefore, let’s sing to our Lord, renewed in hope and excitement, because this suffering indeed WILL be worth it ALL when we see Jesus!!
Therefore encourage one another with these words (1 Thess. 4:18 BSB).
Therefore…Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 1:13 BSB, emphasis added).
Imagining Jesus’ promised return and our resurrection to eternal life with Him, along with deeper study of “eschatology” and the “last day,” has renewed my hope and excitement amid earthly suffering.
Sister in Christ, singing of our sure hope is helping me emotionally FEEL my suffering WILL be worth it all!
So, this week’s playlist gift fixes our eyes here this week! May He encourage You deeply too! If singing of our blessed hope would help you endure suffering, sign up here, and the music will come to your email with my love and prayers.
To read more of Lauri’s writing, you can use her devotional Bible study lament prayer journals: Praying God’s Blessings in Christ as We Suffer: Scripture Prayers for the Hardest Days, Praying God’s Promises Into Suffering, Near to God: A Devotional Bible Study of God’s Character as We Suffer, or Singing the Gospel to Job: Finding Hope in Suffering. In the Valleys of God’s Love is written for children aged 3-8, a perfect read for grandparents, parents, and children to share together, preparing them for suffering to come.
For those with chronic illness and pain, anxiety, or depression, here is a special place just for us
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