I Can Only Imagine
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
Revelation 21:4
Recently, I was listening to the song “I Can Only Imagine.” As I heard the words, “Surrounded by Your glory,” I realized, at that moment, that God’s glory is beyond my imagination. When we are face to face with Christ, God’s glory and his infinite love will be felt as it flows through us. It will be so unbelievably great that we cannot imagine. We will feel his infinite love, his infinite peace, his infinite joy, his infinite rest; all of the character of Christ. Can anyone describe how great this will be in Heaven?
“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him—(1 Corinthians 2-9) What no human mind has conceived, implies to me that Heaven, in the presence of the Father and the Son, is something God has prepared for us that is so wonderful that no human has the capability to understand.
However, the next verse says: These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10). So what has God revealed by his Spirit? But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians5:22-23) The Bible refers to the peace that transcends understanding, implying that we can feel peace from God that’s indicative of the peace we will feel in his presence. Meditate and feel the peace from God, and try to imagine having infinite peace in eternity.
The more of God’s love that fills our hearts, the more we are molded to the mind and heart of Christ; the more the Spirit reveals a small feeling of the glory that will be revealed in heaven. If we meditate on Jesus going to the cross, his thoughts and emotions, and the heart of the Father, the more heaven opens up to us. We cannot fully understand what Jesus was facing in the garden. It was not just the terrible mocking, the beating, and the crucifixion, but He was taking on our sins and being separated from the Father. This is something so painful that we cannot imagine. Knowing the perfect love the Lord has for us helps us to imagine what it will be like when we are in his presence. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. (John 17:3) Heaven is heaven because we are with the Father and the Son.
Today, take a moment and meditate on God’s love. So powerful was his love for us and the Father that he took our punishment. Embrace the infinite love the Lord has for you and be assured of your infinite value to him. Examine just how much he wants to be with you for all eternity in heaven, and imagine how unbelievably great it will in his presence.
Let’s Pray: Lord, remind me of your love displayed on the cross. May I be found worthy through Jesus to live in the presence of your love for eternity. Guide me through the Spirit to reflect your love to others; to let them know the love, peace, and freedom that comes from being your servant. In Jesus’ name, Amen.