Heaven

I wonder if any of you have trouble with sleeping through the whole night. Certainly, over the recent years, I’ve quite often been awake for one, or even two hours, wishing fervently that I could get back to sleep again. When this first happened, I was distressed by it, but then realised it was a good time to engage in some prayer. As well as praying for my family and friends, one of my favourite things to do is to pray slowly through the Lord’s prayer. I try to take each phrase separately and allow God to reveal to my heart something more of what each phrase really means. I find it relaxing, and often so effective that I sometimes don’t make it through to the last verse.

Recently I was reflecting during my night-vigil about God being in heaven. Where is heaven and what is it really like? Undoubtedly, in my more cerebral day-life, I know various relevant verses of Scripture and have tried to grasp what John searched to describe in Revelation. Naturally, I’ve heard teachers expounding the Scriptures, and seen old oil paintings, and even ceilings, that have tried to represent it. But, in my trying-to-relax night state, I wanted to allow God to speak, so I just waited, and tried not to get into rational thought mode.

After a while, a simple thought popped into my mind. Heaven is where God is. That means heaven is where all love is; where all goodness is; where everything is as it should be; where He’ll welcome me, and you, at the end of our lives; and that’s probably all we really need to know. A deep peace settled in me with these comforting thoughts, and I think I must have dropped off to sleep soon after this. I didn’t even get to ‘hallowed be your name’.

What a comfort it is to us, awake or half-asleep, that heaven is a wonderful place, and, one day, we’ll enjoy all its fullness, because Jesus has prepared a place there for each of us.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for being the way we can be sure we’ll enter into heaven, when our time comes, to spend eternity with You, the Holy Spirit and our Heavenly Father. We’re so eternally grateful to You. Amen.