Surprise!

Daily Devotional December 7th

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.” (John 14:1-3)

During a conversation with a friend, the topic of heaven came up. The Bible gives us glimpses into its beauty and wonder, but just glimpses. Many of the pictures we have of the new earth and new heaven that are coming, may in fact be more metaphorical than real. Each gate made up of a single pearl and streets of gold, might be actual pearls and gold...or a pointed comparison, that the things we hold in such great esteem here will be fit only for pavement and miscellaneous building materials in God’s eternal Kingdom.

Even our translations can be confusing. Is it, “In my Father’s house are many mansions” (KJV), or “In my Father’s house are many rooms” (NIV)? I suspect that those expecting to rule their own little fiefdoms in heaven are going to be disappointed. In our North American culture we value independence and personal ownership; but in God’s Kingdom, I highly doubt such worldly pursuits will exist. If our earthly families are to serve as any sort of model, we may in fact find ourselves enjoying far great interdependence and unity, sharing space with our heavenly family members. What we do know for certain is that, “There is more than enough room in my Father’s home” (NLT).

But why so little information? Why hasn’t God told us more? As we chatted I had an idea come to mind. What if God hasn’t told us for the very same reason we sometimes withhold information from our children? So that it’s a surprise! At Christmas time, haven’t we as gift givers waited in anticipation for the look of pure joy on the face of a loved one as they unwrap the present we know that they have so desperately wanted? It’s hard to say who is most pleased–the one on the giving end or receiving end. Could it be that God hasn’t given us much information about heaven for that same look of joy that will cross the faces of His children as they catch a glimpse of their eternal home for the very first time? Imagine the joy that will not only be ours, but our Heavenly Father’s as well.
​
God has told us all we need to know for the present. There’s more to come, that we can’t even begin to imagine, but that’s as it should be. It’s God’s surprise for us!
~ Pastor Jane