Do You Desire to Go Home?

   Psalm 16:11 You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

   At times, do you find yourself wanting to go home to be with the Lord? Not to be confused with the idea of escapism, where you want to get away from all the stuff of the world. I mean, a sincere yearning to be with God? This goes beyond simply wanting to go to Heaven. The desire has nothing to do with mansions and rewards. You only want Him. Just as He told Abraham: “I am thy Shield, and thy Exceeding Great Reward” (Genesis 15:1). That’s right, nothing else matters!

   Do you sometimes feel like a little child who wants to be held by our amazing loving Father -ABBA (Daddy)? To be lost in His arms and hear His heart beat as you lean against Him. Maybe you want to sit with Jesus, or perhaps, dance with Him. Do you yearn for it?

Caught In The Middle

   Do you find yourself living in a dichotomy? Part of you wants to go home, while another part wants to stay here for your loved ones’ sake? Paul put it this way: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake” (Philippians 1:21-24).

   On a personal note, I most definitely want to go home now; yet, I don’t want to leave earth until the purposes God has for me are fulfilled. I want to be available for those I love. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely trust God with my loved ones. Who better to take care of them? He knows what they need far better than anyone, but if I’m part of that equation, I want to stay until I’m not.

Strength to Stay Here

   Maybe there are moments when it seems like some sort of prison sentence to remain on the planet, but it’s not. Here’s a couple things in which to take solace. First and most important, God is ever with you. Since He lives in you through Holy Spirit, His presence is perpetually with you, even when you don’t exactly feel Him. God faces everything with you. You’re not alone, in spite of what you may feel.

   Hebrews 13:5-6 For He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “THE LORD is my HELPER, I will not be afraid. what will man do to me?”

   Secondly, our time on earth has a shelf life, and it is very short. When reading about people in history, has it occurred to you that many of them have been gone for centuries? They already lived their lives. They’re not here. More than likely, you’ve commented on how fast time is going by. Scripture puts it best: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away (James 4:14). You’ll be home before you know it. By the way, if you depart before your loved ones, they’ll be home before you know it as well.

Reasons to Stay

   This is something to which was already alluded; part of God’s plans includes you being there for your loved ones until your part of the equation is complete. That involves influencing a number of them to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, and/or discipling them. They need to experience His love through you. Now extend that to your mission at large: making disciples of nations. To be sure, the Lord can do it without you; however, He wants to include you. He wants to do life with you, and that includes co-laboring in His Kingdom. In short, He doesn’t need you; He wants you!

   1 Corinthians 3:5-9 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

   Rejoice! While waiting to go home, you get to do things with God as part of your relationship with Him. How much more meaningful is it to bring as many people home with you as possible? Our time on this planet is nothing compared to eternity. It is less than a drop of water in the ocean.

   Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

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