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Is my desire to see the Lord wrong?

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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: I feel guilty sometimes because I long to leave this life and go to Heaven. My family tells me this is sinful… that I should be glad to have the breath of life every day, but I am elderly and live alone, and the more I read my Bible the more I desire to see the Lord. – L.H.

A: If Christians never yearn for Heaven, it may mean we’ve become too satisfied or too preoccupied with our lives right now! It’s easy to become so overwhelmed with our problems that we focus only on what is happening to us at the moment. But whatever we experience in this life should cause us to look to the Lord for peace and comfort, because He will provide it to those who follow Him. The Lord is with us through our sufferings, and He awaits us as we emerge on the other side of the tunnel of testing — into the light of His glorious presence to live with Him forever.

For those who trust in Jesus Christ, Heaven is our true home, and many times we grow homesick for Heaven — especially in the midst of the sin, sufferings, and sorrows of this life. A tug at our souls for Heaven is homesickness coupled with anticipation. It might be in God’s sovereignty that he allows our eyesight to cast a dim view of the “here and now” so that we may focus our spiritual eyes on the “ever-after.”

Paul, the apostle, knew what it was to suffer, and he discovered this truth in his own life: “For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). We shouldn’t allow the burdens and hardships of this life to distract or discourage us. We must keep our eyes firmly fixed on what God has promised at the end of the journey: Heaven itself.

 

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

©2022 Billy Graham Literary Trust. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


(c)2022 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

 

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