Our Foreverland

By: Carole L. Haines

Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, ² even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. ³ This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

¹³ But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. (John 17:1-3 &13 NASB)

A friend of mine has been struggling with depression, they keep putting her on more meds, but it seems to make it worse.  We pray and I give her the Word of God to encourage her.  But God did a mighty thing in her life this past weekend that surpasses mere human efforts.  She has lost two husbands and so been a widow twice. She is not afraid of helping the dying, so when a gentleman at our church was dying, she jumped right in to help. She spent 5 hours with him laughing and watching his favorite movie. Then she looked at me at the beginning of Church the next day and said, “We’ve got to go, __________ needs us.” God had called her and her husband over to be with this man once again. She, along with many others helped this gentleman transfer over to a Hospice center. People from the Worship Team showed up right there, dozens came and they sang with him, cried with him, laughed with Him.

I called my friend this morning and she told me it was so miraculous that she is just filled with so much joy this morning. God answered our prayers about her depression. She ministered to someone who is preparing to go Home to our Foreverland with Jesus, and Jesus blessed her with His own joy. She said Jesus was so present there in the room with everyone, and they were celebrating even in the midst of this dying man, who was rejoicing with them all.
Precious People of God, Believers in Jesus, Our Hope is real, it is more tangible than the car you drive to work this morning, more real then the Sun you see in the sky, more reliable than the changing of the Seasons. Our Foreverland is waiting for us. Jesus has prepared our homes in Heaven and is coming to take us home, whether now, individually, or corporately in His Final Return. We have and unshakeable hope, from an unshakeable God in an unshakeable Kingdom (Hebrews 12:28). We can celebrate, even in the midst of death, because whoever dies in Christ will close His eyes in this world, and open them in the arms of Jesus.