Skip to main content

The Place Prepared For Me

Most Believers can quote John 14:1-3,

 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

How many songs have been writen about this passage? How many prayers of comfort in the time of loss? Everyone is looking for heaven! I am amazed at how many hymns in my hymnbook talk about 'these many mansions' that Jesus has built. If we were to ask, according to this passage, 'Where has Jesus gone & where are we going?' most everyone would say, 'to heaven! Jesus has prepared a place for us.' And while this is true, I believe this passage shows us that streets of gold and mansions are not His destination nor is it ours. Keep reading:

 "3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.” 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."



  Jesus says the destination is not the place with mansions…He says the destination is a PERSON… “No one COMES TO THE FATHER except through me.” Truly, Father, my home is YOU J


The whole point of redemption IS the Father. Listen to what God told me about it this morning:

 I long to be united with you forever just as you do, child…even more! I’ve been waiting for this day long before you were ever waiting for it...Heaven is home for you and for me. No, no place can hold me. I fill all in all. And yet, the mystery which was hidden before time began is that I dwell WITH MAN. YOU are my home as I am yours!

Do you see this mystery, child? We are ‘made’ for one another! There is no heaven if we are apart for we were made to dwell together…I with you and you with me. In the cool of the day, in the middle of the night. This is what I’ve been trying to get back since man fell in the garden. This is why I came to Jacob with my presence and the ladder…I want to tabernacle, dwell with you. I long for it more than you can understand, child. The destination of your vacation, of your habitation here on earth…is ME. And you are mine. We belong together. People focus on the prize and all of it’s blessings. But oh for the joy of my children to not look at the presents under the tree…but to throw their arms around me and know that every good and perfect gift comes from me... I don’t mind you longing for the New Jerusalem and all of it’s beauty. Of course I do not. I made them for your good pleasure! But the destination is all about you and me as one…that where I am there you may be. Whether it is in the belly of Sheol or on the mountain top, in the driest desert plain or in the valley…that where I am there you may be.


It all comes down to being in His presence :) And the Father, our Papa ,truly desires to be in our presence more than we realize. He is our home and we are his. Oh, that this revelation of heaven might flood our hearts!


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Christmas Keys

My hands delicately touched the ivory keys. In reverent solace, I took a deep breath as I sat in the darkness of this unfamiliar house. Slowly, I began to let my fingers flow with the emotions I was feeling. It had been months since I had sat at a piano. But this piano was nothing like the one I had known before: this piano was a perfectly tuned Baby Grand, worth thousands of dollars. The piano I had know - my piano - was an old out of tune spinet that I had purchased at a yard sale for $50. And in that moment, as my fingers danced across the meticulously cared for ivory, I realized how deeply I missed my old out-of-tune friend. It was a feeling that came unexpectedly, this grief. It startled me. So, I quickly stuffed it down inside of myself and shook it off as nonsensical. But as warm tears began streaming down my cheeks while I played this Grand, I soon realized that this was an emotion I could no longer deny: I was grieving the loss of my piano. The loss of my piano had come a...

A Passage of Scripture I'm Not Fond Of

So, today I was reading Joshua 7. It's the one that talks about Achan and how he was killed for lying, stealing, etc. etc. His sin cost him his life and cost Israel a victory in battle. Yeah...it's not one of my favorite passages of scripture! It's one that makes me cringe when I read it. No warm fuzzies. Ready for MORE honesty?! I have reason not to like this passage. I've seen it used within the church as proof to judge and punish someone who has sinned. In fact, I've personally been on the 'receiving' end of that position. It's no fun. Yep. Not one of my favorite passages of scripture. ALL the more reason for me to read it and to ask God his opinion on the passage. It can be really easy to skip over difficult passages of scripture. It can be easy to just skim them and not ponder them at all. But it is still God's word. I want to know why he said what he said. Soooo, I took it to the Lord in all my glorious honesty this morning. I walked rig...

Beautiful in Weakness

I am writing a book called, "Lessons From the Tree." I don't post that here to brag or in hopes of sparking interest, because let's be honest - I reckon that only my mom and a couple close friends even read this blog...and the same will probably be said for my book. I mention it today because the book is all about learning to hear God's voice. The title comes from the vision that I often see in prayer: Jesus and me sitting under an ancient tree in a beautiful garden. This image has come to me countless times now and each time I allow the scene to unfold, I am blown away by the lessons the Spirit teaches me there. Under the cascading branches, I have learned about God's holiness, his mercy, his never-ending love for me. I have learned about how he sees me as beautiful even in my weakness, how he loves even the smallest area of obedience, and how he loves me - not forces me - into greater faithfulness. All of these lessons, taught right under that tree, are tied...