Revelation 22:1-5 One Light, One Tree, Many Kinds of Fruit

Observation: God shows John a vision of God's ultimate plan for the creation. One great river flowing from God's throne, one tree on either side of it, lit neither by the sun nor by the moon, but by the glory of the One God. But the tree bears more than just one kind of fruit. In fact, it bears twelve; a different fruit each month. Twelve is a number of completeness in the Bible, and it's often associated with the twelve tribes of Israel. But the fruits of this tree will be "for the healing of the nations", which often means the nations other than Israel. From one central source will come healing for each and every nation, unique to its need. 

Application: I like the symbolism of this heavenly "fruit of the month club." It reminds me that every nation, and indeed every person, needs a different kind of healing. It also reminds me that the healing does not happen all at once: in God's Reign we are comfortable centering and healing the pain of others, even if our hurts may have to wait until next month, or the month after that. God knows who needs what kind of fruit, and when, and it comes in due season. In God's Reign, there is abundance. We can clearly see there's fruit enough for the needs of all. I can wait quietly until December and support the healing of my siblings in June. In fact, my healing takes a different form as I celebrate others' healing, each month with the dawning realization that all our healing, unique though it is, is bound up together. Like much of John's heavenly vision (and pretty much any heavenly vision in the Bible) my approach is: "it will happen then, but why can't it happen now?" So, as I pray "your kingdom come" today, I pray for fruits of healing in due season for all the nations--all my neighbors across this world--and I give my attention to bearing the fruit they need. 

Prayer: God, your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as in heaven. Tree of life, bear me as fruit to the nations, for the healing they need. Amen.