“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.
“By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; …
“ … for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Heb 11:8-10)
Journal,
As a child of the 1940s, my heart is linked to the music of that era. It was the era of the big bands. Songs like ‘Sentimental Journey’, ‘Buttons and Bows’, ‘Cruising Down the River on a Sunday Afternoon’, were songs with simple but clean themes.
One song that I especially loved became the signature song for Judy Garland. It was entitled ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow.’ Miss Garland sang it when she was but a teenager.
Guess the reason I liked it so much was because my childish heart carried in it a heavenly theme. My mom had instilled a love for heaven in me with my, ‘Now I lay be down to
sleep,’ prayer. It is like a piece of heaven was instilled in my heart from the beginning.
And even when I wandered about in the world, there was always something deep in my heart bidding me back to my childhood experience of the Lord.
I have no other way to explain it that to speak of, ‘the ancient and heavenly call of the ages.’
This may be what Paul was talking about when he wrote,
“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Php 3:13-14)
Then we have this from the Psalmist –
“My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?” (Psa 42:2)
I believe this heavenly call has been the hallmark of God’s people from ancient time.
Now let’s come back to …
Coming Home – The Walk of a Little Child
Jesus said,
“Unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt18:3)
At another time the Lord instructed His disciples to leave the children alone.
“Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Mt19:14)
Did you notice who the kingdom of heaven belongs to? It belongs to those who have a childlike trust in the Lord.
I’ve often found it interesting that when talking to older believers, it is not uncommon to hear them say that it seemed they knew the Lord from early childhood. And even if they made their confession of faith later in life, it was as if they had come home.
That is what happened to me.
But why is this? The Lord explained it to Jeremiah. Listen…
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jer 1:5)
The Hebrew word for ‘knew’ is very interesting. Yada (yah-dah’) speaks of observation, experiencing, understanding, that is, to know someone intimately and personally. The Lord knew Jeremiah personally before Jeremiah was conceived in the womb. It is hard to wrap our minds around this, but it goes to show just how awesome the Biblical doctrine of eternal security is in its presentation. Every believer was saved in eternity.
God knowing and experiencing Jeremiah can be said equally of every person who comes to realize Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. This person was in the heart of God from the beginning of time and even before.
Could this be why we had a sense of knowing the Lord from childhood. (Just something to think about.)
Thus we read,
“ … just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.” (Eph 1:4-5)
Tell your children about heaven
I was blessed in that my mama taught me the little childhood prayer. She placed in my young heart tender feelings for heaven. And when our children were little ones, I tried my best to put in them this same heavenly love.
On one occasion I am in my office studying for a service. A small knock comes to my door. There stands Shana; “Daddy, I don’t have anyone to hold me.”
I swept her up in my arms and sit down with her in my lap in front of our french doors. That’s when I began to share with her about our heavenly Father, about the birds and other creatures He had created, and about His love for us.
At another time all three of my children and me are raking pine straw in the back yard, when we sit down under a tree for a break. Our dog Peppy lay there with us. Again I hear this small voice say, “Daddy, everybody needs a hug, even God, huh?” “Yes, darling, even God needs a hug.” And again I began to share with our children the Father’s love.
Then there was the time when my youngest son, Andre was quite small. The night was so dark. He stood on the front porch as I walked up. Andre could barely see me. But when I said, “Jump Andre, daddy will catch you,” he soared off the porch into daddy’s arms. He knew that daddy would catch him.
Each of our children hold a special place in both Betty and my heart.
Does this not speak of our heavenly Father. The Bible says that nothing will ever be able to separate us from His love.
The sad story of materialism
Yes, there is a point in all this. I remain deeply disturbed as I hear all these earthly, materialistic teachings today. The gospel being preached in many places is earthly minded and man-centered. It is a gospel of greed.
But my mind goes back to all the Bible warnings concerning these last days. Peter spoke of false teachers who would arise among God’s people. He said,
“Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” (2Pe2:2,3)
What should the pulpits be instilling in the hearts of God’s people today? Should be not be a consciousness of heaven? I am speaking of the atmosphere of heaven that we are called to live in. (The Spirit-filled life is nothing less than the atmosphere of heaven filling out of being.)
Seeking first the Kingdom
Jesus said that if we would seek the kingdom of God first, then everything else in life would be added to us. The kingdom of God speaks of the rule of God over our hearts. We are not to lord over our own lives. We are to look to Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
This is why the apostle Paul said,
“Set your mind [affections] on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” (Col3:2-4)
The Ancient Call
From ancient time there has been in the hearts of all God’s saints, this feeling for heaven. It is a call upon our lives.
God’s people have always seen themselves as pilgrims in this life. In the new covenant this takes on a new dimension. When a person receives Jesus Christ as their own Lord, there is a heavenly reality that enters their heart. In this sense we become heavenly creatures in earthly bodies.
Yet the principle of living for the Lord never changes. We are to live as children.
Have you been misled by some of the earthly, materialistic teachings? Do you need to come back to your first love? Do you need to return to your simple childhood faith in Jesus?
Think about it. And while you are thinking about it, take time for Judy Garland, as she sings, ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow.’
Blessings,
In Christ Jesus always,
Buddy
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