On that great and inconceivable day, one by one we will present ourselves before the King; and as the glorious angels stand to the right and to the left of Him, the Great I Am will proceed to open the Book of Life. As He looks, a piercing silence will be heard all throughout the heavens. Many tears will be shed as they await the sound that will break the stillness…….the sound of almighty God. To many, their fingers will be crossed, hoping that maybe God found a loop-hole……but sadly, there are none. To others, their weeping will break down silence’s door for they cannot contain their cherished hope that has now become a reality. As their name is called and they are ushered into the heavens, they begin to sing the song of Moses…….the song of the redeemed coming forth into Glory as their last tear falls. The great Jehovah then fixes His eyes back on the multitude still waiting for their names to be called. He begins to weep as His whisper thunders through the sky, “Depart from me for I never knew you.”
I have often wondered how the Lord will settle the uproar that will break out as those words echo throughout the skies. Will He remain silent as they fight for their lives, defending the salvation they feel they worked so hard for? Will He be able to contain His anguish as He sees them all for the last time? No one really knows what the King of Glory will do, but I believe because He said, “will not the Judge of all the earth do right” that He may say one last thing. As each one pleads their case, what if He would respond by saying, “Okay, if you are who you say you are, and have done all these things for me, then you won’t mind doing one last thing. Sing to me.” They begin to look around and then stutter as they respond, “Well sure Lord, but………where is the overhead? Surely you have some kind of hymn book to give me to use don’t you? I mean……..you need to give me something. I can’t just think of something on the spot here.” Once they realize there is no aid for them, I believe the silence will be so thick and tangible that when God’s last tear falls to the ground, its resounding echo will consume the endless skies and invade the callous hearts standing before Him.
There is a song that only the redeemed can sing. This is a song not just about love, but about hope. A hope that one day their undefeated lover would come and deliver them. It is a song of perseverance, of desperation, and even of solace in the midst of loneliness, bareness and suffering. My mother sang this song when I was younger as she stared out the window night after night just praying that I would come home. My brother sang his first chord as he walked up to the drug houses to rescue his big sister. Their song carried not only them through, but me also, and now I sing it as I carry my children.
Suffering is not a trophy to be displayed but rather a chord to sing. It is not to be sought after and yet is to be embraced when it comes; for there may be a day when you are asked to sing of your journey. A voyage filled with rescue missions, dragons, and even seemingly rickety bridges over endless chasms. Everyone’s beginning and middle will be different, but our ending, if we so allow it to, will be the same. It is a finished melody that will move the heart of God and cause even the angels to covet; a song that will open the eternal gates of Heaven and usher you into glory. So worry not what your hands are doing but rather what your heart is singing, for on that day, you better have a song.