We will feast in the house of Zion,
We will sing with our hearts restored,
"He has done great things"
we will say together,
We will feast, and weep no more.
Midway through the second singing of this beautiful chorus I was crying so hard I could no longer hide my tears and had to leave the room--but I kept listening, just outside the door:
In the dark of night, before the dawn
My soul, be not afraid
For the promised morning, oh how long?
Oh God of Jacob, be my strength...
I believe these words with all my heart. I believe that I will feast in the house of Zion. That my place at the great table of the Lord is secure. I believe that this present "table in the wilderness" is but a dim preview of the joy that is to come when my God makes all things new.
But that doesn't stop the tears. And maybe it's not supposed to. I've come to realize that not only are there better days to come in heaven--there are better days to come here. Now. Because the kingdom of God is not only a future one. It is breaking through each day in this tattered and bruised world that we call home.
I love to imagine that future "promised morning" when "we will feast and weep no more." But I'm expecting better days before glory, too. The God who will one day restore all things is--even now--quietly, covertly, making them new. I can expect, on any ordinary morning, to see glimpses of Him at work--to hear him tuning the orchestra for the symphony He's written which heaven and earth and all of us are certain to perform.
King David, in the throes of anxiety and depression wrote: I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Not one day by-and-by. One day soon. Perhaps today. We will feast in the house of Zion. Oh yes, we will. But there are better days ahead in the land of living, and with the eyes of faith, you and I are sure to see those, too.
I would have despaired unless I had believed
that I would see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord;
be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:13, NASB)