Water of life

A Lent devotional on Revelation 22:1-3

"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 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. 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 is something so peaceful about being near water - I find myself gravitating towards it. It’s calming to see the waves crash in the ocean, a river flow along a valley, a still lake in the mountains. Every holiday I take, I always end up by or in water. I’m the first to run into the sea or dip my toes in an icy cold stream. Unfortunately, I’m from Stoke-on-Trent and now I live in Doncaster, both places nearly as far from the sea as you can get in England.

When I read the book of Revelation, I am amazed to see beautiful descriptions of where I will live forever. When I was little, I used to think that when I died, I would go and float around on fluffy white clouds and, to be honest, it sounded a bit boring. John’s visions in Revelation, picture-language though they may be, show us the richness, splendour and beauty of a new heaven and a new earth, not a fluffy white cloud! One day, we will live in paradise where clear waters flow, trees bear fruit, where mourning, crying, pain and death will be no more (Revelation 21:4).

But best of all, we will live forever with Jesus, the water of life. Although we try to plant ourselves in Jesus now, the curses of this world make it hard. Suffering, busyness, worldly concerns all distract us and pull us away from the water of life. But not so in eternity! One day, we will live perfectly with Jesus, worshipping at the throne of God beside the river of the water of life, under the tree of life. It’s a beautiful picture of a beautiful reality. I can’t wait to live with my Lord forever. This Easter, let’s praise Jesus that He died and rose again for us, making eternal paradise a certain reality for us to look forward to.