9After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from the every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 15For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. God promises to shelter us, feed us, give us drink, protect us from the scorching heat and wipe away our tears. But some of us are hungry and the sun has blistered the skin of others.
Tears still fall from our eyes and some have no sheltering place to sleep at night.
Waiting on God's promises can begin to seem like a fool's errand. Hearts damaged by years of pain develop scar tissue that is hard to penetrate. Allowing ourselves to be vulnerable begins to feel like a form of masochism. This life is the great ordeal that infects us all. And, since we are unable to account for ourselves before God, our ultimate ordeal is to be separated from the salvation that belongs to our God and the Lamb.