As believers, our hearts were made to ache for Heaven – a place where all is made right, where tears are wiped away, where we have the honor of dancing and worshiping at the feet of our Father for all eternity. John Piper puts it this way, “Heaven will be a never-ending, ever-increasing, discovery of more and more of God’s glory with greater and ever-greater joy in Him.” The hardship and hurt of this world uniquely equips believers to look forward to an eternity of dwelling with our heavenly Father. Because of the depravity of this world, we can more fully understand the goodness of God and seek to be in His presence. Because of God’s steadfast character, we can find our identity in Him and fix our eyes upon Him and His promise of an eternal home. Because God created us with eternal purpose in mind, we no longer have to search for a reason to live. He is our reason, and on this earth, furthering His kingdom is our purpose.
In Ecclesiastes 3:11 Solomon writes “He [God] has also set eternity in the human heart.” We were intentionally created to look for more, to seek purpose, and never to be fully content while living on this earth. We were made to seek the face of Jesus and patiently wait to spend eternity with Him. 2 Corinthians 5:1 says, “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling…. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
I can’t help but notice the specific wording Paul uses. He compares living on the earth to sleeping in a tent, but he refers to Heaven as a building not built by human hands. Paul understands the mindset the Lord wants all believers to have. Living on this earth is like camping in a tent; it’s fun for a weekend, but soon your body aches from sleeping on the hard ground, the novelty of charred food wears off, and you can't help but crave the comfort of home. You start to miss the building with four walls and a roof that doesn’t leak. You miss the air conditioning and the convenience of indoor plumbing. Unlike this earthly tent, our eternal home can’t blow away with a gust of wind. It has a solid and steady foundation that doesn’t waver. Heaven is the home for which our hearts ache. In His kindness, the Lord has allowed us to experience a preview of that eternal joy on earth through a relationship with Him. This relationship provides a beautiful glimpse into what eternity will look like forever in His presence.
Hebrews 6:19-20 says, “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever….” Our deep desire of an eternal home in heaven is sure and steadfast because of the finished work of Jesus. Our hope is not in this world or anything this world has to offer. Rather, it is in a holier, greater place. Since Christ has gone ahead of us in order to pave a way for our salvation, we can have absolute confidence in His finished work, leading us to greater faith now and joyful expectancy of what is to come.
Our hearts were made to ache for heaven: an eternal dwelling place with our heavenly Father. While living on this earth, the only true satisfaction comes from an intimate relationship with God and stepping into His invitation to join Him in building His kingdom. In his book Desiring God, John Piper says, “The deepest ache of the human heart is not for wealth, comfort, power, or possessions. The deepest ache of the human heart is to see, and to savor, and to show the glory of God in the face of Christ.” Our souls were handcrafted for eternity. Our hearts hunger for something permanent, something that satisfies our deepest longing. Because of Jesus’s finished work on the cross, we have the privilege of living in complete freedom while we seek to further His kingdom on this earth. And we look forward to eternity with confident hope of one day seeing Him face to face.
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