Looking forward to Heaven

A spiritual exercise

The eleventh chapter of Hebrews lists some heroes and heroines of faith.

One thing these men and women had in common was that they “waited for the city whose builder and maker is God.”1 Their focus wasn’t on their immediate circumstances, but on the heavenly reward. That’s how they were able to endure the tests and tribulations they went through.2

This has practical applications for us. It’s easy to become so weighed down with the concerns of daily living that we lose sight of what’s waiting for us at the end of the road. On the other hand, thinking more about heaven helps us to bear some of the things we have to go through now, so we’re wise to heed the scriptural advice, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”3

Find a quiet place for this exercise, outside in nature if possible. You may want to start by reading about heaven from the last two chapters of the Bible, Revelation 21 and 22, which give an idea of what is waiting for us. Then think about some of the aspects of heaven, like these:

There will be no tears, pain, sickness, or sorrow (Revelation 21:4).

Heaven is a place of joy (Isaiah 35:10).

We will be reunited with our loved ones (2 Corinthians 5:8; Revelation 7:9).

We will live in a perfect environment (Revelation 21:23).

All of our needs will be filled (Revelation 7:16).

There will be no more death (John 11:25–26).

We will be rewarded for our good works (Matthew 16:27).

We will have a new body that does not bear the disabilities we may have now (Philippians 3:20–21; Luke 24:36–40).

We will meet Jesus face to face and get to know Him as He knows us (1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 John 3:2).

It certainly seems like a good idea to talk about heaven, meditate about heaven and read about heaven, because, after all, that's where we’re going to spend eternity. It’s an important place— our eternal home. So it’s only natural to want to know what it’s like and what we’re going to be like when we get there.
—David Brandt Berg

1. Hebrews 11:10
2. Hebrews 11:26, 35
3. Colossians 3:2