Forever

Forever

and I will live in the house of the Lord  forever.   Psalm 23:6 NLT

The second half of verse 6 is what I call a wasabi statement. Small sentence, but big punch. It reads, “and I will live in the house of the Lord  forever” The Hebrew text could also be translated, “I shall come back, again and again, to be present in the house of the Lord.” Again, this verse teaches us to see things through the wide-angle lens of eternity rather than our present circumstances, whether good or bad. 

What did David mean by “house of the Lord”?  David wanted to build the temple, but God was going to leave that task to David’s son Solomon. Nevertheless, the best was yet to come for David, as it is for us, too. As followers of Christ, remember our best days are always ahead of us. 

No peace frequently occurs after a significant loss or a series of losses. Life can seem hopeless in the short term. That’s why we must learn to look beyond the short term to our glorious future with God in heaven. Heaven is our ultimate hope. In heaven, we will “dwell” with God forever; it is not a temporary escape or a fleeting experience like the best times on earth. Our heavenly home is a permanent dwelling place.

This world is not our ultimate home. Everything in this life is short. It’s over quickly. 

The roller coaster ends in two minutes. 

The riding of a great wave ends in less than 60 seconds. 

Snowboarding down a mountain takes no more than three minutes. 

The honeymoon or vacation is usually over in about a week. 

Heaven, though, is forever. We will enjoy new and greatly improved bodies fit for a glorious new world. There will be no more suffering or pain. There will be no more sin and death. There will be no more guilt or shame. There will be no more depression, no more despair, and no more discouragement in heaven. The losses will end.

The Good Shepherd is with you. He pursues you with his goodness and mercy. And he promises a future world of love, joy, and glory that more than makes up for all the pain you go through in this world. 

Yes, it is Friday, but Sunday's coming.