In Psalms 16, King David first seeks God for refuge and help, then goes on to declare his complete trust in God.
In verse 11, he states, “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.“
David looked forward to the time when he would walk with God as Adam did, looking at this and that, learning from the Master, basking in the joy of His presence.
Do we do that? Look forward to that time when we will be in His presence? Do we envision ourselves walking with the Father as we examine this thing or that? Do we long for His presence as heartily as we long for that vacation we’ve dreamed of?
If not, why not?
Are we comfortable here? Happy even? Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t be happy in this life. What I mean is the deep satisfaction that keeps us from longing for our eternal inheritance.
Is our idea of heaven misconstrued, believing we’ll be the cherub on a cloud with a harp? Do we think we’re going to be singing in a heavenly choir the whole time we’re there – the whole long eternity? Do we think it will be boring? Do we think once we get there, God will smack us around for the things we didn’t do right?
All these are lies the enemy has constructed to keep us from wanting to be in Heaven, in the presence of Almighty God.
Believer, God is excited for your arrival. He loves spending time with you now and can hardly wait until it’s time to have you with Him. He calls you His masterpiece. He is constantly showing you off as an example of His glory and faithfulness. “Look at my kid, isn’t he/she amazing!?!”
That’s YOU. He adores you. He longs for the day when you and He are walking side by side, enjoying the sunrise or sunset, admiring the things He has done and the things you have accomplished in obedience to Him.
If you’re not feeling the same way, today is the day to do some examination. Ask yourself why you’re not feeling excited about being in God’s presence. Why is there no joy deep within about being in Heaven? Don’t just ask that of yourself. Ask God to reveal it to you. When He does, pay heed. If there is sin in your life, confess and repent. If you have never had a good grasp on what being in His presence is like, pull out the Book and learn.
When we get our hearts wrapped around who God is and all He has done for us, we will want to be in His presence constantly.
HEAR ME: This longing will not produce a willingness to die now. It produces the desire to live well (obediently to Christ) now so that we will actually be walking with Him later.
What is it you’re to be doing right now? What’s your purpose? What’s the WHY for your life right here, right now? Let’s find out, then let’s get to living it as we keep our eye on the prize of living forever in the presence of the Holy One.
Coffee, Bible, Journal.
