Early in the days of aviation, three chieftains who’d spent their entire lives in the Sahara were flown to Paris and given a tour. A guide showed them the wonders of the Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles. The tribesmen, however, seemed rather indifferent. They became acquainted with locomotives, automobiles, and telephones; even these curiosities failed to break the composure of these proud warriors.

But then the men travelled to the French Alps and witnessed a spectacle that left them speechless with awe: a waterfall thundering over the rocks. The tribesmen stood transfixed. How many times they’d marched for days to reach some well where they had to dig deep for a few cupfuls of muddy liquid.

The guide tried to lead them to the next scenic spot, but they wouldn’t budge. The tribesmen insisted on waiting.

“Waiting for what?”

“The end.”

It was inconceivable that this torrent of life-giving water could just flow on and on forever.

We will experience a similar sense of wonder when we stand on the sea of glass before God’s throne; because that’s when His love and holiness will really overwhelm us. With great effort we managed to scratch out a few minutes of virtue in the self-centered rush of our days on earth. But here is Someone whose goodness never misses a beat. His faithfulness and patience and compassion just keep rolling on, undiluted, uncompromised. And we can only lift our voices in wonder, like the heavenly beings who declare ceaselessly, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8).