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Pure Joy
"At the heart of the universe is a smile, a pulse of joy passed down from the moment of creation." -Philip Yancey.
I love that quote. It made me realize that when God created the universe, He did it with joy–exuberant, pure, infinite joy. He spoke and it was ... Was it ever! Take just flowers, for instance. There is an enormous variety of sizes, shapes, colors, fragrances. How could there not be joy in creating that? And then there are the animals–a mind boggling assortment of furry, feathery, and scaly critters, some beautiful and majestic, some funny looking and not so graceful. I believe there was a twinkle in God's eye as He brought them to Adam to see what he would name them.
It was a time of pure joy and perfect harmony between God and man.
And then... man ignored God's warning and disobeyed Him. His choice brought separation, pain, death, and decay. How God's heart must have ached! How different things could have been. But the tender, compassionate heart of God would not simply walk away. He did the unthinkable. He made the ultimate sacrifice to restore what had been lost.
And then came resurrection morning–a second pulse of joy that made it possible for man to become a new creation. Resurrection morning is the hope that everything that is dark in us can not only be forgiven but cleansed and made new.
Once again there will be a naming of creation. Except this time, it will be God himself who gives us a new name written on a white stone and known only to those who receive it (Rev. 2: 17). There are many interpretations regarding the stone and the name. What is sure is that there is deep symbolism in both.
The color of the stone is white–symbolic of light or purity. In ancient times, stones (or pebbles worn smooth by handling) were used to render a verdict and were also used as tickets of admission.
Matthew Henry says that, "The new name is the name of adoption," reasoning that adopted children take the name of the family into which they are adopted. And Alexander Maclaren says that, "Names [in the Bible] come to be the condensed expression of the character and the personality."
I think it all fits together: The verdict is "justified." The admission is adoption into His family. And the new character has been worn smooth by His handling of our lives, and it now reflects His light.
I believe that our new name will be a combination of what we have been
through here on earth and who He has transformed us into through it all.
It will reveal our Father's deep understanding and knowledge of our lives
and celebrate His power to make new. It will be a deeply meaningful name
we'll derive pleasure from for eternity. Pure joy and perfect harmony
will be restored. Not because we earned it or deserve it, but because
He is God ... and He is risen.
Maria Lund