My Psalm 509 August 29, 2021 Vermillion Day
As God finger-paints the cloud-filled sky
Vermillion, coral, streaked with maroon
I remember the proverb:
“Red sky in morning, sailors take warning,
Red sky at night, sailor’s delight.”
Uneasy tension fills my eyes and soul
As this dark, turbulent sky fills my senses.
Not one to take old wives’ tales to heart,
I marvel at the colors kaleidoscopically transform
Into waves of oranges, golds, the palette of kings’ thrones.
I picture that gilded Heavenly throne, wrapped in filigree
Deeply etched with wide borders glistening like the sun itself.
There, seated, a brightness unseen on earth, a brilliance,
A radiance only captured in visions of God Almighty
Seated in the throne room, surrounded by twelve lesser thrones
Inhabited by elders surrounded by cherubim and seraphim.
One stands empty.
I am transported through time, space, the ether, the horizon itself
With the vision of beryl, sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds
Sparkling underfoot, cool to my knees as I bow in that place
Too amazed to speak, too enthralled to catch more than a glimpse
Of the splendor of it all.
Prostrate I fall.
The same rainbow hues wave like colored smoke on the present-yet-absent walls,
Fluidity serves as the room’s boundary, no corners, no ceiling, unfettered.
Calming music, transcendent, true surround-sound like nothing earthbound
Warms my soul, calms my spirit, soothes each sinew, nerve, synapse
Until I collapse, relaxed, in the presence of King, Judge, yet Abba Father,
And all is well.
Angel-voiced choirs, seraphim and cherubim, heralds, and child-like innocents
Sing hallelujahs, antiphonally, one after another in acapella unison then harmony
Reverberating, echoing as in a huge stone cathedral. Nothing on earth compares.
And then, a brilliance beyond anything earth can produce, gains attention:
Complete silence. No movement. Complete focus. Dimmed gemstones.
He enters.
Jesus, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace, Lamb of God, Son of Man
Enters.
Garbed in white more brilliant that earth white,
Flowing in cadence as he walks,
Eyes shining, hair glistening, face radiant,
Love exuding as an aura,
He bows to the Father, taking His Hand,
Whispering, Abba Father, as only He can.
He sits at the right hand of God the Father
Just as He always has
Since the day of creation—
Except when He lived among us, except when He died.
Because He did, because He descended to a stable,
Bruised His baby face on sticks and straw,
Knew hunger, thirst, temptation, rejection, and pain,
Like us,
Because He descended from splendor to earth’s desolation,
I can see this somewhen tomorrow.
He transcended death. He broke sin’s curse. He rose triumphant,
So I can live with Him, Yes, with the Lord of Lords, forever.
And whatever comes of this day, red sky or not,
I can face the hatred, the disillusionment, the temptation,
The dread, the fear, the tension, the evil, and the pain
This day could bring.
I could be the murdered child in Chicago today.
I could be bombed at the gate in Kabul.
I could suffer the humiliation of bad choices.
I could grieve in the depths of depression.
I could lose all in today’s hurricane.
I could be a refugee, a cartel slave.
I could have no home, no family, no earthly future.
Yet, Jesus paid the price for my worst day, my most horrid experiences
For all who are chained, downtrodden, without hope.
Because He broke earth’s curse once for all time,
He lived, He died, and He rose again in triumph,
I and His followers may one day see
The vermillions, the corals, the golds,
And the diamonds of His throne room.
There will be no “sailors take warning”
When they, like me, find the peace that passes all understanding,
They live in His Presence, even while tethered to this life,
We recognize Jesus makes every day beautiful.
So today, whether Afghanistan, suicide bombers, hurricanes,
Whether fires, politics, murders, tornadoes, or Isis,
We can worship this day in the beauty of holiness,
We can pray for fellow believers around the globe,
We can lift persecuted Christians to that same throne room,
We can celebrate martyrs who paid the price,
Joining in worldwide fellowship with His believers,
And cast the warnings aside. This earthly realm is not our home.
Our hope and treasure is where mold and rust and fire and storm
Can’t touch it, for our eyes are faced on heaven’s eternities
Just beyond that sunrise’s horizon. Thank You Lord for the vision. Amen.
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