“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
— John 10:28–30 ESV
So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
— 2 Corinithians 5:6–8 ESV
The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. — Exodus 14:14 NIV
Heaven and the return of Jesus have been on the forefront of my mind more than normal lately, which is a little sad because I should probably be more focused on these two subjects on a regular basis. That tends to happen a little more when people we love are going through procedures, getting results from a doctor, or when someone passes away. Regardless of what God calls me to on any given day, there are a few things I am sure of:
- One day, my life on earth will end.
- I will be in heaven for eternity, because I believe in Jesus and accepted his gracious gift of redemption for me.
- I will either experience death or simply be called to heaven when Jesus returns.
- For now, we are in the waiting.
The waiting is something we are all familiar with, but these words seem to cause us some anxiety. Through the years, I’ve come to understand a little more about the waiting.
My mom first used the term to describe our time with my grandmother before Jesus took her home. In her last days with us, we came to find peace and joy in the waiting. We were able to experience precious time with her and see the real-life meaning of being absent from the body and present with the Lord. I am not always the best at waiting. Like so many others, I find myself gravitating to the “what ifs” that don’t seem so positive the longer it takes for news to come in or for something to take place. Why should this be the case?
A few years ago, I remember my brother referring to the waiting with a totally different perspective. He has served in the Air Force reserves for over 31 years. He spoke of the waiting in reference to the flight line. He said that it’s one of the best places to think. It is so peaceful there. I also remember him saying that it’s also the place where great celebration takes place when an aircraft returns. I can remember waiting with my sister and precious niece and nephew on two separate occasions for his return. There was such excitement in the waiting and true joy at the first glimpse of his plane. This should be the perspective to keep in the midst of the waiting. We are waiting for Christ’s return. We know he is coming! We know all will be settled and made right at that time.
Regardless of the state of the world in which we live, the answers to life’s questions, the waiting in any circumstance that seems to overshadow us, we should allow ourselves to truly hold on to Jesus and experience his peace that surpasses understanding, living out his purposes and plans because he has already gone before us and has continues taking on any obstacle in our path.