He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

Revelation 21:4

We can find comfort in God’s ultimate plan while still living in a state of brokenness. Despite what we are struggling with, we can hold onto the ounce of hope that will allow us to keep going, to keep walking, to keep trusting. Because if there is one thing to remember about God, it is this—His heart toward our human pain.

The four sources of human pain that Revelation 21:4 addresses are death, mourning, crying, and pain—which we all experience throughout our days, in between moments of love, joy, and happiness. Whether we are grieving a loved one or a former identity of ourselves, crying on behalf of others or in response to the challenges in our lives, or nursing a broken heart due to pain someone else caused or even wounds we’ve inflicted on ourselves. Whenever we find ourselves suffering in any capacity, we tend to fixate so deeply on the pain we’re feeling that we forget to remember God’s personal, tender care for each of us—how He promises to ‘wipe every tear from their eyes.’

Regardless of what we are going through, there is one constant—the boundless love, comfort, and relief that God has promised each of us. What He will eliminate is not just temporary relief from the circumstances we are facing, but also eternal resolution—a place in Heaven where ‘there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.’ But in the meantime, He also relieves us from the ‘old order of things’—the ways in which we used to live, the beliefs we once held, the patterns we partook in, the toxic relationships we were part of, the places and spaces that no longer resonate or align with the person we need to become. This promise changes how we face present difficulties, as it reminds us that no matter how painful it feels, God will take care of us—now, and forever.