Away from the mire, and away from the clay,
God leads His dear children along;
Away up in glory, eternity’s day,
God leads His dear children along.
As Christians, we have already experienced God’s power to lift us up out of the mire and the clay once. In Psalm 40:2 the Bible says, “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” This is speaking about salvation. God brought us up out of an horrible pit and out of the miry clay. That is, God brought us up out of our sin and death and despair. Then He set our feet upon a rock, the Rock Christ Jesus. He established our goings in the way of His truth. We rejoice much and have hope and praise the Lord for this wonderful blessing.
But this salvation and this hope and this blessing bring forth another, even greater blessing. Once more God is going to take us out of the mire and clay; that is, out of the sin of this world, the temptations and evil, and also out of our bodies of clay. He is going to take us out and take us home where we will live with Him for ever - away up in glory, eternity’s day.
Philippians 3:20,21 declare, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” According to Strongs, this word “vile” indicates something that is humble, of low estate, depressed in rank or feeling. Romans 8:23 tells us, “ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” It is OK to groan when we have pain or when our bodies are experiencing discomfort. That is a natural response. But those of us who know the Lord Jesus as our Saviour will one day be delivered from these painful, uncomfortable bodies that cause us to groan.
The thrilling thing is that, whether we live or die here on this earth, we will be going to glory to spend eternity with Jesus. We are going to glory to see our Heavenly Father. No man hath seen God at any time. But one day when we are all in glory, we will see our Father face to face. What will it be like to look on His face? Once can only imagine. We will look on His face, and we will feel no shame or fear because He is our Father and because Jesus has taken away from us every spot and every blemish. We will stand before our Father in perfection. Oh, may that day come soon!
“13But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (I Thessalonians 4:13-18)
Yes, one day I am going to meet my Saviour in the air. He will catch me up to be with Him and with all the saints who have gone on before. Every day Jesus leads me closer to that moment. Not all the paths He leads me through are comfortable and easy. But all of them lead me to glory because they all lead me through the paths cleansed by the blood of the Lamb.
Some through the waters, some through the flood,
Some through the fire, but all through the blood;
Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,
In the night season and all the day long.
Jesus is coming, and He is coming soon. It may be today. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Looking forward to meeting you in the air.