It’s hard to look past Monday to eternity. But Monday will be better if you do. The road of our lives leads to death. Yes, but it never ends there. Our soul bounces and it never slows down.
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Heaven will have the bright streets of gold and the pearly gates and the awesome beauty of an unspoiled place. But these things are only the stage upon which the joy of eternity occurs.
Perhaps you have discovered, as I have, that heaven seems far more real the more people we know who have gone there ahead of us. Our loved ones who have died are like the leaves inside branches waiting for the spring.
Life is still there, hiding behind death, until something cues it to resurrect.
You will be part of that.
Blessings of Hope for You
The true blessing of heaven will be its occupants. That’s the joy of it! I look forward to seeing family and friends who have gone before me. I look forward to seeing the saints of old, such as Abraham, Ruth, Paul, and Peter.
But most of all, of course—far above everyone else—I long to look into the face of my Savior. I want to look in his eyes, embrace him, and thank him endlessly. Then I want to tell him my best joke and make him laugh.
Resurrection is not just consolation—it is restoration. We get it all back—the love, the loved ones, the goods, the beauties of this life—but in new, unimaginable degrees of glory and joy and strength. —Timothy Keller
Have you buried a dream when you buried a loved one? Remember, this life, as real as it is, represents only a slice of reality—just a fraction of our total existence. Heaven is a lot longer than the dash on our tombstones. Our death is but a doorway to God’s broad expanse of eternity. His promises extend beyond the grave.
Every person in the Scriptures who had the occasion to catch a glimpse of the Almighty hit the dirt in a coil of shame and terror. But one day we will gaze full into his eyes and marvel at his holiness without fear of punishment, because Jesus took that penalty when he died for us.
We will see God not in parables, not in metaphors, not in the enigma of Scripture, not in the evidence of creation, and not in a mirror dimly.
But face-to-face.
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With our own eyes, we will see the face of God. Imagine that for a moment, if you can.
You . . . seeing the face of God.
It’s going to happen, and it’s more certain than your next breath.
Whatever You’re Waiting For
Whatever it is you’re waiting on God for, remember that the fulfillment of all your longings is ultimately found in Jesus. You may have been waiting on God for a long time already. Don’t allow God’s delay to distract you from faithfulness. “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness,” Peter reminds us (2 Pet. 3:9). God’s patience has purpose.
God’s delay doesn’t represent his apathy. He has something special planned for you.
Even if you wait your whole life, you have God’s promise that Christ will make all things right for you—and in you—when he comes for you.
I love the words of Adoniram Judson:
When Christ calls me home, I shall go with the gladness of a boy bounding away from his school. —Adoniram Judson
Can’t you just picture that? Carefree—and free. Finally, really free.
That, my friend, is what we’re waiting for.
Tell me what you think: What do you most look forward to in heaven? To leave a comment, just click here.
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This post is adapted from Wayne’s book, Waiting on God: What to Do When God Does Nothing.
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• If you find yourself waiting on God—or if you don’t know what God wants you to do next—this book offers a wise and practical guide to finding hope and peace in life’s difficult pauses.
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