Heaven is Here
I often recall how my expectancy of Christ’s return was so strong in the immediate months following Doug’s suicide. I looked to the clouds and listened for the trumpets on my drive to work each day. In my mind, God would never ask me to hold this much pain for long. Surely His plan was to remove me from it. He would pluck me up out of this story and we would all feast at the great banquet before much time passed.
In the grand scheme of things this is true. This life is indeed short. The trials we face are certainly “light and momentary.” When every sad thing is made untrue, I believe to my core that these struggles and heartaches will feel like a mist.
It is also true that we serve a God who enters the darkest places. He brings Heaven down to us. He comes near. Immanuel. God is with us. He is with us right now and it changes everything. It may not change the way we feel, but don’t miss it. He is here and it impacts the story tremendously. Heaven is here.
One professor of mine encouraged me to read the creation story as a “home story” rather than a “house story.” Let me explain. Instead of picking apart the details of what happened on which day of creation, take a step back. What did God do in the creation story? God in His creativity, love, and power spoke creation into existence. God created home. Why? To love and lead His children. To be WITH them.
When the story took a turn in Genesis 3, we see His reckless pursuit to set right the heart of man. Why? To love and lead His children. To be WITH them.
Tears fill my eyes as I write this. God has been running after us since creation. How could we ever be blind to His love? Sin and brokenness have a way of clouding our vision. It can certainly feel like God leaves us at times. Our feelings get incredibly tangled. They try their best to lead our thinking. Let us be reminded this Christmas that God desires to love and lead his children. To be WITH them. Home is what He desires. Jesus was born to make a way. He made a way for the God of love to come sit right in the middle of our greatest messes. Heaven came to us.
In the “already-not-yet,” God gives us His presence through the Holy Spirit. I weep as I write this. Where would I be without the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of me? Where would I be if He was not in my home on the day I received news that changed everything? The Spirit gave my family the verse Jeremiah 29:11 to pray as we begged God to bring Doug home safely. He gave it to the Israelites in the middle of their mess and He gave it to us in the middle of our mess too. God could see it all. He knew and He was right here. He is here. Heaven is here.
Wait though. It gets even better. One day He will make all things new. His delay is out of His desire for none to perish (2 Peter 3:9). He is not slow in keeping His promise to us to return. He will do it. (John 14:3) Heaven is coming.
Experience His presence today in the messy middle. It is just a foretaste of what will be. Come Lord Jesus. Come today. Come make us ready for that day when all things will be made new. (Revelation 22:12)
In Christ,
