A Place for You

In the book of Revelation, the Lord Jesus gives John a vision of heaven. It’s a vision of comfort and encouragement for everyone who is burdened by the sufferings of this life. You won’t be floating on the clouds, strumming a harp. You won’t be a robot. You won’t be bored for all eternity. You won’t be a disembodied spirit floating around in some strange dimension. Heaven will be filled with all the excitement you could ever want.

Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you” (see John 14:2-3). Not a cloud. Not a dimension. A place. Heaven is a real place, and we will live there in our glorified, resurrection bodies. The place Jesus is preparing for us is the new heaven and the new earth, the domain of God, the dwelling place of His people. The vision of heaven we find in Revelation is designed to fill us with anticipation for the life to come and to comfort us in our trials. The promise of heaven should motivate us to live each day for the Lord. Peter reminds us that we ought to live lives of holiness and godliness because “we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).

The more we focus our attention on this life, the more meaningless this life becomes. But the more we focus on the wonders of heaven, the more wonderful this life becomes. When I hear someone talking excitedly about heaven, I know that person is truly saved. One of the surest indicators of genuine salvation is a sense of excitement and expectation about heaven. Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). So if your treasure is in heaven, then your heart is in heaven as well.

Today you may be carrying the weight of a Steinway piano on your back. It might be a load of guilt. It might be a load of suffering and pain. It might be a load of worry about the future or heartbreak over a painful loss. Whatever the weight that drags you down today, a vision of heaven will lift your burden.

Prayer: Lord, empower me to live in light of eternity—in light of the glory that is mine through Jesus Christ—so that my joy is complete whatever my circumstances. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.