Mandy Baker Johnson

This song is for all of our little ones whose strength failed before it really began, who even now are dancing around the Throne and singing like never before.

At choir practice this week, it dawned on me how much I love singing and harmonising (which sometimes sounds great and other times doesn’t) with friends.  We’re currently practicing How deep the Father’s love by Stuart Townend for our Easter services at Grace Church.  The words of the song lead naturally to thinking about Heaven and all that Jesus purchased for us by dying and rising again.

It reminded me of what I’ve been reading about Moses in the Bible.  At certain times, the Holy Spirit inspired him to write songs for the Israelite nation to sing.  The first time this occurred was after God supernaturally parted the waters of the Red Sea so that the Israelites could travel through safely, but their pursuing enemies who had oppressed them for more than 400 years were drowned.  Moses and the people broke into spontaneous song, praising God for the wonderful way He had worked on their behalf.  It was a time of great rejoicing, and Moses’ sister Miriam led all the women in singing and dancing with tambourines.

Shortly before the Israelites were about to move into the promised land of Canaan, Moses was inspired with a song to teach the people so that they would remember God’s covenant with them.  (God also said that the song would be a witness against the people when they disobeyed Him.)

Just before his death, Moses bestowed a poetic blessing on the nation of Israel. 

From the fact that we have three recorded songs from during Moses’ lifetime, I think we can safely assume that he was gifted in this area and enjoyed singing and song-writing.  So I wonder what he’s up to these days…?  I think that maybe the Bible gives us a little insight into at least one of the things that Moses is doing now.

When the apostle John saw Heaven, he witnessed a number of people with harps in their hands, singing (present tense) the song of Moses and the Lamb.  This song is recorded nowhere else in Scripture, and the fact that it is introduced as the song of Moses and the Lamb seems to indicate that Jesus and Moses wrote it together at some point after Moses arrived in Heaven. 

Taking this into account along with Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels about Heaven, and the apostles’ teachings in their New Testament letters, I wonder if the God-given gifts and talents we enjoy using here will be transferred to Heaven and be used in a greater, more wonderful way that we can currently imagine?  I find it exciting to think that Jesus worked with Moses on that song.  It certainly dispels the boring myth of people sitting around on clouds.  No, we’re going to be thoroughly enjoying ourselves with Jesus for all of eternity!  And I for one can’t wait.

Are you looking forward to Heaven?  Jesus wants us to look forward to it.  He used positive language and colourful word pictures to show us something of how fantastic Heaven will be, so that we will eagerly anticipate being there.   

A Wedding Reception (Revelation 19):  Whether we are one of the key people or simply a guest, we all look forward to a wedding.  But if we happen to be the bride or groom we eagerly count down the days.  I remember Adrian wrote a simple piece of software that did a big countdown in the corner of his computer screen in the months running up to our wedding.  Everything revolves around the big day.  Jesus wants us to feel this way about Heaven.  It is the consummation of the marriage between Him and His Bride, the Church.

Treasure (Matthew 6):  We can store up treasure there.  Whatever we do here for Jesus’ sake, we will gain there.  And nothing, no matter how small, is lost if we offer it up to Him.

Rewards (Matthew 16, Mark 9):  Adrian and I took my Mum to a London show for her 70th birthday.  The performance was brilliant; some actors had greater parts than others but all played their part faithfully.  As they bowed at the end, each one received praise and acclamation from the appreciative audience.  Some received louder claps and even whistling and shouts, but all were rewarded for their superb performance.  It made me think of Christ; one day we (if we know Him) will hear Him say to us:  ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’.  And He has promised generous and amazing rewards that we cannot even begin to imagine, if we are faithful and obedient.

Home (John 14):  Have you ever been away on a business trip or a holiday?  As it draws to an end, you just long to get home – to somewhere familiar, comfortable, where you can completely relax, where the people that you love are.  I frequently felt that way when I did a lot of travelling for the Christian charity I worked for.  In March 2009 I flew to the Arabian Gulf for a week.  It was the furthest distance I had ever been away from Adrian and, while I had a great time on the trip and met with some wonderful people, I missed him.  Whenever possible I exchanged emails with him.  Half-way through the trip, I stayed at a friend’s home who had skype, so I pre-arranged a time with Adrian to chat.  But when the time came, I just could not do it.  I knew that to hear his voice would increase my home sickness to such a painful degree that I would not enjoy the rest of my trip.  As I travelled home at the end of that week, the flight seemed much longer than it had at the beginning of the trip.  Driving home up the M1 seemed so slow.  I could hardly wait to see Adrian.  It was a wonderful moment to suddenly spot him waiting for me and to be able to run to him and feel his strong arms tightly around me.  Heaven will be even better.  It is the place where we truly belong, and the Person we love the best in the world will be waiting at the gates to draw us into His loving embrace.  Are you homesick for Heaven?

With Jesus (2 Corinthians 5, John 17): Do you enjoy amazing times with the Lord where His presence is incredibly real and you wish it could never end?  Well, it will be even more wonderful in Heaven, where it never will come to an end.  We will be able to enjoy Him forever.  Jesus’ prayer in John 17 is that we will be with Him and see His glory.  One day, we will see Him in all His glory and just revel in it!

With Friends and Family (1 Thessalonians 4):  It is right and normal to look forward to reuniting with our friends and family in Heaven.  We enjoy spending time with them here and look forward to being with them.  That should not change just because they have gone before us.  In Heaven, everyone will be our best friend and no one will feel shy or awkward.  The fellowship and friendship there will be truly out of this world.

Jesus warned that this world will not last forever.  So let’s not get caught up with the ‘here and now’; let’s look forward to Heaven.  May the God of hope fill us with joy and peace until it overflows out of us to those around – who may not know our wonderful Saviour and the glorious, homey place He is preparing for those who love Him.

This article was first published in Insight in April 2010.

As I was praying with a good friend from church on Monday evening this week, we specifically asked the Lord to heal me from the pain of losing Two and Three. Although it’s not quite as raw as it was, it’s still painful at times.

As we prayed together, Una leaned forward and said: ‘I really feel the Lord asking you to give the little ones to Him, and picture yourself handing them over. You’ve never really done that, have you? I feel the Lord saying it’s time now.’

With the odd tear leaking from under my eyelids, I prayed in my heart: ‘Lord, they’re Yours,’ and pictured myself literally handing Two and Three over to Him. And amazingly, for the first time I could imagine them both skipping happily in that meadow, holding on to the Lord’s hands. And yes, they were wearing dungarees! It wasn’t a vision, but picturing them in my head as I handed them over to Him for safe keeping was so helpful and so special.

If you know the Lord, why not hand your little one(s) over to Him for safe keeping? You may be amazed at the results.

I would love to know if you find this helpful at my email address.

I’ve finally gotten around to doing some more research on Heaven and embyrology.  I’m currently studying Heaven using Puritan preacher Richard Baxter’s book ‘The Saints’ Everlasting Rest’.  He says:  All good is comprised in God, and all the good in the creature is just drops of this ocean.  In the same way, all the glory of the blessed is comprised in their enjoyment of God, and if there are any secondary joys they are just drops from this.  If human beings and angels tried to put the blessedness of that state in a word, what could they say other than that it is the closest enjoyment of God?  Say, ‘They have God,’ and you say ‘they have all that is worth having.’  Amen to that!