My Heart Will Go On … Won’t It?
Chuck and Sharon W. Betters
TODAY’S TREASURE
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart… (Ecclesiastes 3:11a).
God has set eternity in every heart, a longing for the presence of God, and nothing else will truly satisfy (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Some people believe in a glorious afterlife but mistakenly believe it is open to all comers, regardless of behavior or belief. The popular movie Titanic is a classic reflection of this view. Though the two young lovers in this film are temporarily separated by death, the movie ends with gauzy, glowy scenes implying they are eventually reunited in some lovely, ethereal plane of existence. The idea seemed to be that God doesn’t care all that much about how we’ve lived or what choices we’ve made, that we’ll all just float off to bliss on angel wings after living a “reasonably good life.” But the Bible directly contradicts this view of human nature—and of God. Our lives in and of themselves are not nearly good enough. We need Christ, and we need Him desperately. Just as the Israelites sometimes attempted to blend their worship of God with the idols and the false religions of their neighbors, so the unbelieving world attempts to lay claim to the eternal privileges of Christ’s resurrection without having to worship Him or even acknowledge who He is.
Perhaps even more disconcerting is the fact that this endless search for a “no restrictions, no obligations” type of religion is finding fertile soil among many believers. Instead of viewing life with eternity’s values in view, oftentimes Christians, like the rich man of Jesus’ parable (Luke 16:19–31), are busy filling up their “barns” with more and more things, more and more activities. As a result, they give little thought to the eternal consequences of their behavior. In stark contrast, the “scorch marks” of their lives taught the people portrayed in Hebrews 11 to keep their eyes fixed on God’s covenant promise of an everlasting, eternal inheritance. These men and women were all heirs to a “better resurrection,” a true resurrection, one that came not via cheap grace but by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
The deaths of Mark and his friend Kelly left us shocked and bleeding as nothing else ever has. Now we long for heaven—we long for heaven. The death of your own son is something you will never get over in this life. Never. How could you? Would you even want to? When you lose a loved one, you lose a precious part of yourself, an extension of your own flesh and bone, like a part of your very own soul. We feel Mark’s absence keenly and painfully. It is an ache we bear each day like an old wound. We are reminded of him again and again and again and again in a thousand different ways. Sometimes we wince, sometimes we cry, sometimes we just hide our sorrow. Mark’s death brought our previously dim and vague perception of heaven into bright and sudden focus as we began to realize that nothing—nothing, nothing— would ever really remove the ache from our souls except being in the blessed, healing presence of Jesus Christ. With Him, there is no sadness, no night, no tears. How we long for that day, the day that is coming, the day God will restore to us all of the years that “the locusts” have eaten (Joel 2:25)!
Sometimes our waiting seems interminable; we want to hurry the day—like children impatient for something wonderful to happen. Thoughts of heaven consume us. We have even wondered if our longing is an obsession that might be displeasing to God. Paul’s words to Timothy, however, assure us that while our suffering serves a purpose, it is normal and right to long for the return of Christ:
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing (2 Timothy 4:6–8).
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
Do you ever get “homesick”? We do. We get tired and discouraged, and we want to go home. This is not an evil desire; indeed, longing to be at home with our Lord pleases God and was a focal point of Jesus’ teaching. To help them persevere after His death, Jesus encouraged the disciples to think often of the preparations being made in heaven for them:
In my Father’s house are many rooms… I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am (John 14:2–3).
Heaven is really more than we can imagine. It is a place of peace and beauty, a place radiant with the very presence of Christ. Paul wrote:
…no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Heaven sounds almost too good to be true, except that it is true—for our hope is certain.
PRAYER
Father, as I go about my day, may my senses be on full alert to notice the beauty of creation, incredible reminders that You are preparing something beyond this beauty for each of Your children.
I hope these devotionals will whet your appetite and encourage you to dig deep into Hebrews 11 on your own. They are adapted with permission from P&R Publishing. P&R is offering Treasures of Faith for $3.00 each! And the Leader’s Guide for $2.00.
Supplies are limited.
More free resources for help hope & healing:
Help & Hope podcasts is a friend stepping into the private pain of listeners, acting as a tourniquet to help stop the bleeding of a hemorrhaging heart. There are over 160 podcasts that cover a variety of topics. This week’s featured story is: Retiring Well with Dr. John Dunlop
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
For more from Daily Treasure please visit MARKINC.ORG.
Originally published Wednesday, 14 June 2023.
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