Obsolete

By Our Daily Bread

Read: Isaiah 35

The ransomed of the Lord . . . shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. —Isaiah 35:10

Pastor and author Joseph Parker (1830-1902) commented about the closing words of Isaiah 35:10, “Sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” He said, “Looking through the dictionary, you will occasionally come across a word marked ‘obsolete.’ The time is coming when the two words sorrow andsighing shall be obsolete. The things which mar life here and now will then belong to the past.”

Human existence has been marked by tragedy, heartache, disappointment, and evil. It’s comforting to know that the time is coming when sorrow and death will pass away, and God Himself will wipe all tears from our eyes. Then we will experience the truth that “the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

Are you burdened today by some seemingly insurmountable problem? Are you lonely, heartbroken, and disappointed? If you are a child of God, dwell on this reassuring thought: “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). A brighter day is coming when words such as sighing,death, and tears will all be obsolete.

So don’t be downhearted, beloved child of God. Keep looking up!

God's tomorrow is a day of gladness,
And its joys shall never fade;
No more weeping, no more sense of sadness,
No more foes to make afraid. —Ackley

Heaven—no pain, no night, no death, no tears.