All Shall Be Well

“They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Revelation 7

This vision described by John in the Book of Revelation comes after the whole company of heaven is seen surrounding the throne and worshipping God. This is a big picture moment, a poetic vision that paints with large strokes across the canvas of our desire.
When we come to the book of Revelatioin we have already seen a lot. The promise of Nativity, the revelation of Christ’s ministry, the devastation of crucifixion and the joy of Resurrection. We continue to read in Acts about the ups and downs of the early church and so we approach this fantastical book with some trepidation and a tentative hope.
Pushing past the beasts and fires, we do find the words of truth and hope. We find a place to rest upon that echoes some of the earlier resting places. We know the shepherd and we know hunger.
We’ve read about springs of water with the woman at the well, and we’ve experienced the tears that come with grief.
We are ready to hear words of comfort. We are looking for a time when we will be so connected with God that we will no longer wonder about God’s presence with us. And this is what Revelation promises-a time of peace and connection and abundance.
The hunger and thirst described here are the longing that we have for God.
We will no longer need to be wandering in the desert looking for what has been found.
We will see god and we will know God.
As Julian tells us in her Showings of Divine Love:


All shall be well.
And all shall be well.
And all manner of thing shall be well'

We may well ask ourselves how this can be possible. And our questions are not without merit.
But listen at night to the gentle breeze that blows,
See the sun as it rises above the horizon in the morning,
Look into the eyes of a beloved friend or family member-

And remember that these too, are part of the world that God is giving us right now.
These glimpses into a different order of things can keep us saying with Julian that
All shall be well.
And all shall be well.
And all manner of thing shall be well'
Blessings,
Debra