Sometimes during a glorious spring morning, a take-your-breath-away-kind-of-beautiful one, I look around and think, how can Heaven be any better than this? But the truth is, it will be. I don’t know what Heaven will look like except for a few hints that God gives me in the Bible, but I know it will defy anything my beauty-loving soul could dream up. And do you know why?
Because God is there.
In Heaven, Jesus will be the only Light we need. He will be the primary focus, and His beauty will usurp the crystal flowing river, the trees that bear a new fruit every month, the streets of gold so pure you can see through them, and the mansions Christ is preparing for us. Can you imagine?
When I start to get too focused on life “down here,” I like to stop and think about how wonderful Heaven will be. That this often weary pilgrimage is not all there is. That there is a life beyond death. That those who have suffered are now safe in the arms of Jesus, and we will join them one glorious day. That everything that happens right now is leading up to life in this place. What comfort and joy these thoughts bring!
But there is another glorious heaven to be obtained, one that we can have before we go to our home beyond the blue. That heaven is a life lived in surrender and submission to our Savior, King Jesus. When we give up our plans for our lives and place the key to our hearts into the hands that still bear nail scars, we enter a secret, sacred place that is alive with the beauty of Almighty God. His ways become our ways, and the sweet aroma of His holy life fills the air around us. We enter a realm that is not of this world. We sense some part of what Adam and Eve must have felt as they walked with God in the garden in the cool of the day. Our souls are refreshed, and they are satisfied, right down to the very core, because they are participating in the relationship that they were created for. They are home.
May we crave this “heaven on Earth” so much that we seek it with all that we have and all that we are. For in this place, we find true peace.
I've found a secret place of comfort and release, A special place of healing, a quiet place of peace. And everyone who dwells there finds rest beneath God's wings, In the shade of His pavilion, in the strength He always brings... I find hope, I find grace, Far away from the world's embrace. He gives me rest, He keeps me safe, I find His strength, I seek His face... In the secret place. With every trial He brings, my Lord will make a way, To strengthen and protect me, to help me face each day. He leads me through the valley to draw me closer still, Knowing even in the shadows, I find His perfect will... I find hope, I find grace, Far away from the world's embrace. He gives me rest, He keeps me safe, I find His strength, I seek His face... In the secret place. ~Ron Hamilton
Joyful Journey 