Heavenly Place

When we were travelling to our destination I was amazed at the generosity of these strangers but also a little bit sceptical.

Revelation 4:1-11

Reference:  v.3  And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian.  A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. (NIV Bible)

 

Explore:  Last Summer we were really blessed to be given a holiday house along the South Australian coast for a weeks break.  I had never met the people before but through another ministry friend they offered their house for my family to stay in.  When we were travelling to our destination I was amazed at the generosity of these strangers but also a little bit sceptical.  The house wasn't on the beach but beside a bay, maybe the water was going to be all sludgey and smelly.  The abode was not the people's permenant residence so maybe it was going to be small and filthy because no one had been there for a while.  No matter what the situation was, I was touched by their generosity but open to whatever might greet me.  To my pleasant surprise the house was adorable.  The main bedroom had a huge bed in it, the pantry was filled with food and the place was neat and tidy.  The lake was incredibly pituresque as we arrived and there were 30-40 pelicans coming in to rest.  The sunset was magnificent across the lake and during the day we were even able to use their canoe to paddle across (where I'm sure I saw a turtle!).  While my anticipation had been subdued by the unknown, I was pleasantly surprised.

Application:  We have heard a great deal about what Heaven is going to be like.  There will be joy and happiness, many mansions, no suffering or pain.  But I think that when we finally get there we will be even more pleasantly surprised than when I went on holidays.  When John got a vision of Heaven in Revelation 4 he does his best to explain what he sees.  He describes his vision using words that we would understand but in ways we wouldn't usually connect them.  I understand the word rainbow, emerald and throne but putting them together like John did shows me that there are things in Heaven that I will recognise but it will actually go beyond my expectations.  Let's not limit the wonder of Heaven by only what we know here on earth.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, when we get to Heaven and see how glorious it is we will be even more in awe of Your grace that You sent Your Son to earth.  May we see glimpses of Heaven here on earth as we seek to notice You. Amen.

What do you think of when you think of Heaven?

Revelation