not in heaven

I heard a breathtaking podcast recently where a question was asked about how the church in Iran can worship in the midst of oppression; how can people come together when the night before close friends and family have been killed, and pour out their hearts in worship. How does that work?

Their response was profound.

Listen for yourself here: Jesus Speaks Farsi, but here is one of my takeaways.

Revelation 21 states “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” [‭‭‬Revelation 21:4 NIV]. When we get to heaven our worship will be a joy, both easy and endless.

Our worship of Him now is neither easy nor without end. In the context of eternity it is only during this short flicker of time when we can worship him despite the pain. We will not be able to worship God in this manner again. This is our only time to tell God we love him when it’s not easy. We cannot worship like this in Heaven. “This is the only chance we have to praise him, to worship him, with pain.”

God bless you wherever you are, and whatever you’re going through. This time is brief and will come to an end.