The new year had begun and we were back from holidays. My oldest was in school again and my youngest was adjusting to his resolution to drop the soother. Okay, it really wasn’t his choice at all, but he was the one who willingly threw it in the garbage can! My middle child, however, could only think of wrapping presents. I wasn’t eager to assist her in packaging a paper present that we’d open in 5 minutes, but I saw her generous heart wrapped up in the important project so I went along with it. She worked cheerfully and even placed the present in the empty space where our twinkly balsam tree had stood the month before. At the beginning I was confused why she was having a hard time “getting over Christmas,” but then it occurred to me that maybe she didn’t know what to focus on next. What should she give her attention to?
Endings can be hard, can’t they? I think of death and how—for those without hope in Jesus—physical death may be exceptionally terrifying. We ourselves have experienced the pain of death and walked with others through mourning. The end is especially difficult when we do not know what is on the other side. For some fear may spring from not knowing when or how they’ll die. For others, earthly life is all there is to live for so death means the end of everything.
The popular phrase goes “all good things must come to an end,” but prayer is a little different. Prayer has an end as it does a beginning (see Part 1 here) and a middle (see Part 2 here). Prayer, however, dies when our longings are satisfied. Prayer’s end is joyful—not because our communication with God is cut off, but because it’s fully realized when we perfectly dwell with God.
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes . . . for the former things have passed away’” (Revelation 21:3-4).
All of our prayers—all of God’s promises—will come to pass. The aches and pains of our world weigh heavy on us now. However, Revelation speaks of a future reality when all prayers of desperation drawing us to the Lord and all hopeful pleas that keep us clinging to Him will cease. Our praying won’t die because we won’t need or cling to God anymore, but because one day—one actual day and then for eternity onward—our petitions will be swallowed up with praise!
