PSALM 73:23-24 – Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.

THEME OF THE DAY. THINK HEAVEN. There is a wonderful picture in today’s scripture. It reminds me of a loving parent holding the hand of a child as they walk through, in the child’s mind, a scary place full of monsters and other things ready to pounce. The picture is one of security, confidence, and safety as the one stronger and wiser, hand in hand, guides the weaker through the maze of a fearful world. Now take that into the spiritual and eternal world.

Fellow Christian, the theme of today’s scripture, being hand in hand with the Lord, walking through this sinful and dangerous world, is really an introduction to a greater Biblical theme – the desire for closeness from the Lord to His people. We often talk about our desire for heaven, and rightly so. But sadly, the weakness of our flesh, the pull of our remaining sin, and the allurements of the world too often make our desire weak. It ebbs and flows. We don’t like this spiritual reality. We long for more consistent thoughts and desires for heaven and Christ. And we can actually get there. It is by not concentrating so much on our desire for heaven and Christ. It is learning to look at Christ’s desire for us. Settle into the following scriptures and ask the Lord to show us His deep longing for our presence.

First, Jesus so longs for our presence that He has gone to prepare the place of our union – “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:1-3). Heaven. No more pain. No more death. No more disappointments. No more suffering. No more failures. No more sin. No more weak faith. This is what awaits us and it is all of Jesus’ doing. Think heaven and watch the world fade in our thinking and affections to be replaced with the pursuit of holiness and deeper fellowship with Jesus.

Next, our Lord reveals His deep longing for us to see Him, face-to-face, to behold His glorious Person – “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24). This is the one thing that satisfies the human soul. This is the one thing that brings contentment to the human heart. This is the one thing which fully makes us complete human beings. In the presence of Jesus is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).

Think heaven and of seeing the Lord Jesus. It is to be the daily discipline in the life of God’s people. And should we develop this mindset, we are positioning ourselves to live out the Christian life as God intended; to be in the world, but not of the world, longing to be with Him who has saved us out of this world to be with Him forever.

PRAYER: “Father, help me to walk by faith, hand in hand, with You, all the way home.”

QUOTE: “Don’t live like this world is your home. It isn’t The Lord didn’t save us to make us comfortable in this life.”