Monday, November 2, according to my “Pray as you go” app was “All Souls” day. This was a time to remember those who have gone to their heavenly home. Having the perspective and lived experiences of being with my dad his final years and moments, I have felt heaven in my heart. I was glad to hear passages throughout the week about heaven and the in between state we find ourselves in. My dad is there in all the splendor and glory–we rejoice!

Isaiah 25:6-9
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of
well-matured wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-matured wines strained clear.
And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that
is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death for ever. Then the Lord God will wipe away
the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for
him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad
and rejoice in his salvation.

The interactive app asked, “What’s your first response to this promise made by God?”

My answer: God desires for us to rejoice and enjoy life through daily activities of eating, celebrating, and fellowship with one another. What joy to have the shroud of sorrow, death, and misunderstanding removed. He will wipe our tears, remove our disgrace, and we will be in perfect peace. I can trust in the Day in which all things will be made new, and, in the waiting, I can anticipate great joy by experiencing what God provides for us to enjoy. I know this sounds simple, but we forget this simple truth, because we are so caught up in the “shroud” of what is going on in our world and in our homes. I’m not minimizing loss or pain. I’m adding the value and permission to include joy. God’s joy.

The people have been waiting for God’s help. The banquet is a sign that that help has finally
arrived. What would that feel like? The people who first heard these words ended up expressing their gladness and joy to the Lord. Maybe you can join them with whatever in God’s plans and promises makes you joyful.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now
and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. (Pray as you go, November 2, 2020)