Alpha and Omega

If you frequently visit my little slice of the internet here, then you are probably expecting a Video of the Week today. Well I will not disappoint, there is a video after the break. But before we get to that, I wanted to take a moment to explain my choice of video for today.

One of my favorite southern gospel songs is “Alpha and Omega” by the Gaither Vocal Band. One of the reasons that I like this song so much is that my son and I have been singing this song together for about 7 or 8 years now. We have performed this song many times, too many in his opinion, but to me it is “our” song and I always enjoy the opportunity to sing it with him whenever we are given the opportunity.

Another reason that I consider this song one of my favorites is that no matter how bad things may seem or how down in the dumps I am, I can get in my car, turn the stereo up, and start singing. Whenever I do this, I finish with a smile on my face and the conviction to face whatever I may be facing at the time.

The reason for this is that this song reminds us of a very important message that John wrote down for us in the book of Revelation. He reminds us that there are greater things waiting for us after we finish our time here on earth. In case you aren’t familiar with John’s writing or the lyrics to this song, I thought that today I would share the song lyrics with you. (And if you are familiar with the song, feel free to sing along with me.)

I heard a great voice out of heaven saying

Behold the tabernacle of God is with men

He shall dwell with them and they shall be His people

And Almighty God will be with them.

He shall wipe away all tears from their eyes

There shall be no more death

Neither sorrow, nor crying, and no more pain

The former things are all passed away

He that sat upon the throne said,

“Behold, I make all things new”

He said unto me, “Write these words

For they are faithful and true”

That is what God promises us. He promises us a life with Him, a life in which there will be nothing but joy, no sorrow, no pain, no death. He promises us a life in communion with Him. He will dwell with us and we will be His people. If that doesn’t put a smile on your face then you might need to go back to the beginning and start all over again because you have missed something.

But I know that there are some out there in our world today that are skeptical. You may be thinking, “This sounds good but how do I know that it is true?” Well, that’s easy, John told us why right in this same book of Revelation. But the second half of this song explains it to us as well, so I will finish singing you this song. (use your imagination, I’m sure you can hear me, I sound just like the Gaither Vocal Band – at least in my own mind.)

He is the Alpha and Omega

The Beginning and the End

The Son of God, the King of Kings

Lord of Lords, He’s Everything

How awesome is that? He’s Everything!

Messiah, Jehovah

The Prince of Peace is He

The Son of Man, Seed of Abraham

Second Person in the Trinity

This is why we can count on the promises that God made to us through the writings of John. This is why we know that there is a greater life waiting for us. That is why we know that any suffering that we must endure in this life is just a small price to pay for the glory that we will witness and enjoy when we are called home. When facing these challenges and situations it is sometimes easy for us to lose sight of what lies ahead.

When faced with circumstances where everything looks bleak, just take a moment to sing this song in your head (or out loud if you are brave). I know that you will walk away with a smile on your face and a little pep in your step.

I promised you a video, so here is the Gaither Vocal Band performing Alpha and Omega.

Do you have a song that you sing to lift your spirits?