Divine Preparations
Posted by: forthrightmag <forthrightmag@...>
http://www.forthright.net
Going straight to the Cross
Catch a glimpse of this vista; what a wonderful
view!
Divine Preparations
by Tim Hall
Tom really loved that car. Though it was really
showing its age, he still dreaded the thought of
giving it up. In that car he had proposed to his
wife. It had carried each of his three children
home from the hospital after their births. He had
even given it a name! No, it wasn't a question of
affordability. He just hated having to give up a
vehicle that had served him well, and in which so
many memories had been forged.
The attachment was soon broken, however, once Tom
drove his new car. Automotive technology had come
so far in those twelve years! Though he still had
fond memories of the old sedan, he never regretted
the decision to trade up.
How like Tom we are when it comes to this life!
Most of us grow rather fond of this world. The
terrain is pleasant, certain seasons are downright
wonderful. Friendships sink roots into our hearts,
and it is with great pain that they must be ripped
up by relocation or death. As we grow older, we
become wistful, sometimes angry. "Why can't it
continue the way I remember it? Why do we have to
let go of things we have so thoroughly enjoyed?"
Faith reminds us that God has promised something
much more wonderful than life on this earth. Jesus
stated it clearly in John 14:1-3: "Let not your
heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe
also in Me. In My Father's house are many
mansions; if it were not so, I would have told
you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go
and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you
may be also" (New King James Version).
A place prepared for us by Jesus Christ? What an
unimaginably splendid place that must be! We visit
some beautiful sites on this planet -- gardens
lush and colorful, islands fanned by warm winds,
mountain summits with breathtaking views. But how
these vistas will pale in comparison with the
place that Jesus Himself has prepared for us!
Paul was not speaking of heaven in 1 Corinthians
2:9, but the idea is absolutely applicable: "Eye
has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into
the heart of man the things which God has prepared
for those who love Him." There's just no way we
can imagine how utterly marvelous heaven will be.
No matter how much we enjoy and cling to life on
earth, it will be quickly forgotten the moment we
step onto Heaven's shore.
Will the streets really be paved with gold? What
will the average temperature be up there? What
kinds of activities will we be given? To these
questions, I have no definite answers. But there's
one thing I know -- and it's all I need to know --
Heaven is a place prepared by Jesus. If divine
preparations have gone into this abode, I want to
be there! And the process of gradually letting go
of an earthly life I have loved (i.e. aging) is
not nearly so disturbing when I trust the Lord's
promises.