Craving Heaven

Craving Heaven.

Isaiah 41:10
¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (NIV)

Jesus taught us that in Him, Heaven has come here so that we can experience the Heavenly life while living on Earth. But our deep craving for Heaven’s bliss can create discontent because even though we have Heaven in our spirit, we live in a dystopian fallen world. We want Heaven without the misery of this life, and we want it now. Our eternal escape will come soon. For now, though, God upholds us by His righteous right hand.

One day, we will walk into the fullness of Heaven where stress, fear, anxiety, drama, bills, politics, and hatred have all been canceled forever. But for now, God uses us as His servants to give the world a glimpse into Heaven. The world needs to see Heaven in us now through Christ to know that what they have been craving is a full immersion into the love of God that is the fullness of Heaven.

As believers, we must understand that our complete deliverance will never be on Earth. For now, our victory is found being upheld by His strong hand. He does not remove us from the torment of this life, but implants in us Heaven’s wisdom, peace, love, and joy even as we tread the tribulations of this life.

We want a victory that eliminates all the affliction, but that victory will come later. For now, our victory is to remain strong in the face of our suffering. By the righteous hand of God, the Heaven in us will not be driven out of us. As the world around us implodes, we will thrive in the goodness of God.

There will come a day when we fight the last battle ascending into the fullness of Heaven’s glory. But for now, every victory is preparation for the next fight. But He will uphold us through it all. We are sustained by Christ within. Surrounded by our enemy, our faith does not falter, our love endures, our joy abounds, and His peace calms our soul. This is what victory looks like here and must be content with it.

Prayer: Lord, uphold me by your mighty hand that my longing for the fullness of Heaven doesn’t stir discontent when I see the next battle brewing. Amen.