“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words…” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, Berean Study Bible.
My sister, many years ago, I had a dream that I was standing outside in an open field, and I looked up at the sky. While I was looking up, I began to go up in the air. And as I went up, I could sense my Father smiling at me. The only thing on my mind was I finally get to see Him face to face. I finally get to see the One who had protected me, comforted me, and strengthened me. In that moment, nothing else mattered.
I know you’ve been in the trenches, trying your hardest not to lose heart. Trying to hold on until the end. It’s been a fight, an unbelievable fight. God knows, and He cares. He promises as we wait on Him, looking forward to His return, we will receive renewed strength and we will mount up with wings as an eagle. Waiting on God causes us to run and not get weary; to walk and not faint (see Isaiah 40:31).
Take a moment each day to think about eternity with the Father. There will be no more tears and no more pain. One day, you will see Him face to face. You will enter into His rest and see His glory. My husband imagines that he will find a tree somewhere and sit down next to it, taking it all in. I imagine myself like a kid in a candy store–exploring, talking with everybody, and making music with heaven’s instruments!
What do you imagine yourself doing? I want to know.
Prayer: Father God, thank you for giving me new strength as I wait on you. Spending eternity with you sometimes seem far away, but I know it’s closer than I think. Help me to finish the work you’ve given me to do on earth. And when life gets hard as it often does, help me to think about all that awaits me in eternity with you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
