Yes. (and amen).

"for no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'yes' in Christ. and so through him the 'amen' is spoken by us to the glory of God."

-2 Corinthians.

"then i saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. i saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. and i heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. they will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 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.

He who was seated on the throne said, I am making everything new!' then he said, write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'

He said to me: 'it is done. I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. to him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life."

-revelation 21.

joy for jacob.

"thus said the Lord:

the people escaped from the sword,
found favor in the wilderness;
when israel was marching homeward
the Lord revealed Himself to me of old.

eternal love I conceived for you then;
therefore I continue My grace to you.
I will build you firmly again,
o maiden israel!

again you shall take up your timbrels
and go forth to the rhythm of the dancers.
again you shall plant vineyards
on the hills of samaria;
men shall plant and live to enjoy them.

for the day is coming when watchmen
shall proclaim on the heights of ephraim:
come, let us go up to zion,
to the Lord our God!

cry out in joy for jacob,
for I am ever a Father to israel."

-excerpts, jeremiah 31.

our King, before us.

"I will assemble jacob, all of you:
I will bring together the remnant of Israel;
I will make them all like sheep in a fold,
like a flock inside its pen -
they will be noisy with people.
One who makes a breach
goes before them;
they enlarge it to a gate
and leave by it.
their King marches before them,
the Lord at their head."

-micah 2.

all of your desires.

"all that delights you in earthly things can never satisfy you, for all of your desires are in God.

the comforts you have here are only drops inflaming, not satisfying, the appetites of your soul, but the Lamb will lead you to fountains of living water."

-john flavel.

it will happen.

"so keep up your courage, men, for i have faith in God that it will happen just as He told me."

-paul's words in the midst of the storm, acts 27.

the water of life.

"The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.'

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people.

Amen."

revelation 22.

farsighted.

"but in the end such tired words shall rest.
the truth will reroute the narrow things they've said.
the marionette strings will lower and untie.
and out of the ashes love will be realized.

because God knows we've been naive.
and a bit nearsighted, to say the least."

-sleeping at last.

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"But as the heavens are high above the earth,
so are My ways high above your ways
and My plans above your plans.

For as the rain or snow drops from heaven
and returns not there,
but soaks the earth
and makes it bring forth vegetation,
yielding seed for sowing and bread for eating,

So is the word that issues from My mouth:
it does not come back to me unfulfilled,
but performs what I purpose,
achieves what I sent it to do.

Yea, you shall leave in joy and be led home
secure."

-isaiah 56.

great spoil.

"my heart thrills at Your word.
I rejoice over Your promise
as one who obtains great spoil."

-psalm 119.

the Branch.

"I am going to bring my servant the Branch. For mark well this stone which I place before Joshua. I will execute its engraving - declares the Lord of Hosts - and I will remove that country's guilt in a single day. In that day - declares the Lord - you will be inviting each other to the shade of vines and fig trees..."

This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit - said the Lord of Hosts. Whoever you are, O great mountain in the path of Zerubbabel, turn into level ground! For he shall produce that excellent stone; it shall be greeted with shouts of 'Beautiful! Beautiful!"

See, I have removed your guilt from you, and you shall be clothed in priestly robes..."

-excerpts, zechariah 3, 4.

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Messiah Jesus; the Branch, the Stone, the Beautiful One.

Blessed be His Name.

He Himself.

"Assuredly, thus said the Lord: I graciously return to Jerusalem.

For the Lord will again comfort Zion; He will choose Jerusalem again.

Jerusalem shall be peopled as a city without walls, so many shall be the men and cattle it contains. And I Myself - declares the Lord - will be a wall of fire all around it, and I will be a glory inside it.

Shout for joy, Fair Zion! For lo, I come; and I will dwell in your midst - declares the Lord.

-excerpts, zechariah 1, 2.

you shall.

"For as the rain or snow drops from heaven and returns not there, but soaks the earth and makes it bring forth vegetation, yielding seed for sowing and bread for eating, so is the word that issues from My mouth: it does not come back to Me unfulfilled, but performs what I purpose, achieves what I sent it to do. Yea, you shall leave in joy and be led home secure..."

-HaShem, isaiah 55.

היה - hayah.

hebrew word of the day: היה - HAYAH.

to live. enjoy life. live anew. recover. be well. make alive. quicken. preserve. refresh. rebuild.

as in,

"Your promise preserves my hayah." -psalm 119:50.

amen.

with great joy.

to Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God, our Savior be glory, majesty, power, and authority, now and forever more.

-jude.

city of david.

jerusalem at dusk, as seen from the tower of david.

(via natgeotraveler.com)

creation.

"the creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. for the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God."

-romans 8.

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in my lifetime, i have been blessed to see many places. the mountains of ecuador and its vast and bright skies, the far-reaching peaks of mexico, the winding coastline and bright green hills of costa rica, the shimmering fields and the rich deserts of israel.

and in all of these places and more, i have been overcome with wonder at the world that God has made.

it is so rich and stunning and beautiful.

and then to read that all of what we see - the world in all its majesty - is a creation in bondage.

a limited version of what is to come.

can you imagine - can you even begin to comprehend - what is in store for us when full redemption comes at last?

can you fathom what it will be like when all things are liberated and the decay of this world is shattered by God's glorious light and freedom?

renewal. hope. promise. freedom. anticipation.

amen.

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