Appearing Before God

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their

hearts on pilgrimage…They go from strength to strength,

till each appears before God in Zion.

Psalm 84: 5-7

Today we focus on the psalmist’s last description of the blessed life of a believer:

till each appears before God in Zion (Psalm 84:7). A day will come when my journey on earth will end. The same is true for you. One day we will all stand before God, every knee will bow, and every person will give an account of himself to God. (Romans 14: 10-12) Each person will then understand the importance of this earthly journey.

Some of us by God’s grace have come to believe Jesus is the Son of God, the way, the truth and the life. We have believed Jesus’ words that faith in Him is the only means of entering heaven. (John 14:6) For us, our appearing before God will be glorious. Jesus will know us, and we will know Him. (John 10:14) We will worship Jesus as the Lamb of God Who has removed the guilt of our sins. (John 1:29, Revelation 5) We will stand before God unashamed in the righteousness of Jesus and then be welcomed into the place He has prepared for us. (2 Corinthians 5:21, John 14:2) We will thrive on fulfilling the purpose for which we were created—glorifying and praising our Lord. (Isaiah 43:7, 21) We will be blessed indeed!

Others, who have rejected Jesus through indifference or disbelief, will also stand before God. They, too, will bow before Him, but they will bow in fear. Because cleansing from sin comes only through faith in Jesus, they will remain in their sins and, therefore, face Jesus as Judge. Because the Lord is holy, they will be sentenced and separated from all that is good.

Friend, are you prepared to stand before God? Are you traveling the narrow road with Jesus or the broad road that leads to destruction? Today can be the beginning of the journey for which you were created. Believe!

Jan Burkhart