GOD’S WORD FOR OCTOBER 27 ~ ~ Psalm 73:25-26 ~ ~ “Whom do I have in heaven but You?
And with You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
From the book, We Shall See God, and the chapter entitled “Friendship in Heaven” Part two—Randy Alcorn.
ALCORN:
For Christians, to die is to “be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). The apostle Paul says, “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Philippians 1:23, He could have said, “I desire to depart and be in heaven,” but he didn’t – his mind was on being with His Lord Jesus, which is the most significant aspect of heaven.
Seventeenth-century Scottish theologian Samuel Rutherford says, “O, my Lord Jesus Christ, if I could be in heaven without thee, it would be a hell; and if I could be in hell, and have thee still, it would be a heaven to me, for thou art all the heaven I want.” Martin Luther said, “I had rather be in hell with Christ than be in heaven without Him.”
When Jesus prays that we will be with Him in heaven, He explains why: “Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me wherever I am, and TO SEE MY GLORY, the glory You have given Me because You loved Me before the creation of the world” (John 17:24). When we accomplish something we want to share it with those closest to us. Likewise, Jesus wants to share with us His glory – The glory of His accomplishments and His being.
Our greatest pleasure, our greatest satisfaction, is to behold His glory. As John Piper says, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”
We’ll worship Jesus as the Almighty to bow to Him in reverence, yet we’ll never sense His disapproval in heaven – because we’ll never disappoint Him. He’ll never be unhappy with us. We’ll be able to relax fully – the other shoe will never drop. No skeletons will fall from our closets. Christ bore every one of our sins. He paid the ultimate price so we would be forever free from sin – and the fear of sin.
All barriers between us and Him will be gone forever. He will be our best friend there.
I love that Spurgeon expresses his desire to live near Rowland Hill and John Berridge in heaven, two men who died before he was born. When he talks of the three of them being “a good deal too merry,” we see not only Spurgeon’s spunk but also the sense of camaraderie he anticipates in heaven. Spurgeon had an astounding number of critics who reproaches him about everything from his doctrine to his humor to his weight to his cigar smoking. (which he quit so as not to give anyone the wrong impression) Spurgeon says of himself and his as-yet-unmet friends Hill and Berridge, “We will make them laugh up yonder, I warrant you, as we tell again the wonders of redeeming love and of the grace of God – their mouths shall be filled with laughter.”
The Bible doesn’t directly address the concept of special friendships in heaven, but is there any basis for Spurgeon’s position? I think so. First, since we remain human in the Resurrection – since we maintain our identities and since our memories are part of who we are – shouldn’t I expect to be particularly close to my wife and daughters and sons-in-law and dearest friends? Is there any reason to believe we won’t pick right up in heaven where our relationships from earth left off?
True, there won’t be marriage as we know it here (Matthew 22:30), but there will be ONE marriage – our marriage to Christ. That means as fellow members of the body of Christ, my wife, Nanci, and I will be part of the same marriage forever – our marriage to Jesus. Would it be fitting and in keeping with God’s ways, given our many years of growing in Christ and serving Him together here, that we would be close friends when we’re with Him?
I think we’ll especially enjoy connecting with those we faced tough times with on earth and saying, “did you ever imagine heaven would be so wonderful?” We all have our own Roland Hills and John Berridges, don’t we? Enjoying God and enjoying one another go hand in hand. Augustine said, “All of us who enjoy God are also enjoying each other in Him.”
Do you have a close friend who has had a profound influence on you? Do you think it is a coincidence that she was in your dorm wing or became your roommate? Was it accidental that your desk was near his or that his family lived next door or that your father was transferred when you were in third grade so that you ended up in his neighborhood? “From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands” (Acts 17:26)
Since God determined the time and places where you would live, it’s no accident which neighborhood you grew up in, who lived next door. It’s no accident that Charles Spurgeon heard about and read about Rowland Hill and John Berridge and was touched by God through their stories. It’s no accident that God gave me the friends and the profound influences He has given me. Some of these men and women are from different times and places, and I have not yet met them except through books.
Our relationships, past, and present, direct and indirect, were appointed by God, and there’s every reason to believe they’ll not only continue but expand in heaven. God’s plan won’t stop on the new earth. He doesn’t abandon His purposes: He extends and fulfills them. Friendships begun on earth will continue in heaven, growing richer than ever.
Notice Spurgeon’s point that Jesus loved twelve men more than the rest of His disciples and that He loved three most out of those and that one, John, was His most-beloved disciple. While Spurgeon isn’t certain we’ll have favorite relationships in heaven, he clearly hopes we will. He says, “If we do, Christ has so prepared a place for us that you shall be nearest, in your position and occupation, to those who would contribute most to your happiness.”
If, as you walk about the New Jerusalem, you see Adam and Eve holding hands as they look at the tree of life would you begrudge them their special friendship? Of course not. And no one will begrudge you yours.
Perhaps you’re disappointed that you’ve never experienced the close friendships you long for. In heaven you’ll have much closer relationships with some people you know now. But it’s also true that you may not have met your closest friends yet. Maybe your future best friend, after Jesus Himself, will be someone sitting next to you at the first great feast. Don’t be surprised. After all, as Spurgeon suggests, the sovereign God, who orchestrates and redeems friendships, will be in charge of the seating arrangements.
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Psalm 73:23
Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Ephesians 1:6
To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He has made us accepted in the beloved.
Joshua 23:14
you know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you; all have come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed.
Psalm 89:1,2,33,34
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens. Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips