Read His Words Before Ours!
Hebrews 11:13-16
Psalms 121
Isaiah 35
Worship III, Day 15
“When We All Get To Heaven” is a hymn written by Eliza E. Hewitt around the late 1800s. Eliza was bedridden for a time during which, she wrote a number of poems that were later put to music. When We All Get to Heaven was one of these. This hymn of old is one that I sang growing up. I more than likely played it out of the hymnbook at the piano as well. Sometimes when we sing songs over and over, the songs become rote memory and the meaning fades, or perhaps we never paused to consider the significance of those thoughtfully penned words in the first place.
Eliza E. Hewitt focuses on the glory of Heaven in her hymn. Its beauty, the pearly gates, and streets of gold are wonderful, but none are as glorious as the reward of seeing Jesus.
When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory.
The hope of Heaven is sure. (I Peter 5:10)
The promised reward of eternal life is unshakeable for those who confess Christ as Savior. (Colossians 3:23-24; James 1:12)
The glory of being in His very presence, dwelling in a very real place, living out the lives we were intended for from the beginning is sheer joy. (Revelation 21:3-7)
Yet, as glorious as it will truly be “when we all get to Heaven”, the often passed over middle verses of this beloved hymn hold solid truth for our everyday messiness.
Getting to Heaven will be wonderful, but before that sweet destination, we are on a journey.
While we walk this pilgrim pathway
Clouds will overspread the sky;
But when traveling days are over
Not a shadow not a sigh.
As believers in Christ, we are on a journey, a pilgrimage.
We hear about pilgrims at Thanksgiving perhaps picturing women in long dresses or men in short pants and belt buckle shoes.
Did you know we are pilgrims?
Not the pilgrims from England, but pilgrims in the middle of the everyday chaos and beauty of temporal life as we journey forward towards the eternal life that will never fade!
A bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baker states:
“Our life on earth is like a pilgrimage because we are here
to journey toward our heavenly home,
to be united with God and
to give Him glory and due worship.”
Our time on earth is a pilgrimage.
Eliza continues to unpack this idea of what our journey as pilgrims looks like.
Let us be true and faithful,
Trusting, serving ev’ryday;
Just one glimpse of Him in glory
Will the toils of life repay.
As believers, we are seeking after God, desiring to be true and faithful to who He has called us to be. (I Timothy 6:12) We study His character as He reveals Himself to us through Scripture.
The more we discover about His goodness and love, the easier our pilgrim hearts learn to trust Him, which overflows into serving Him with all that we are.
Even in the crazy of our Journeying.
Hebrews 11 is known as the “faith chapter” of the Bible, full of stories of pilgrims just like us, journeying onward toward a glorious reward they couldn’t yet see.
These (the believing pilgrims) all died in faith,
not having received the things promised,
but having seen them and greeted them from afar,
and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. (Hebrews 11:13)
Noah took insults from his peers, as he chose to obey in faith. Hebrews 11:7
(Read his story in Genesis 6-9)
Abraham physically left his home, following God in faith. Hebrews 11:8-11
(Read his story in Genesis 12-15)
Moses left all he knew, twice, trusting the God who was unseen. Hebrews 11:27
(Read his story in Exodus 1-3)
Each one was on a journey, and because of their faith,
God revealed Himself to them in ever more
amazing and precious ways as He led them onward
towards the reward of a sweeter relationship with Him.
These pilgrims’ journey was arduous.
Yet, God had prepared something better for them.
Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God,
for He has prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:16)
I don’t have to tell you that life will have dark clouds overspreading our skies as Eliza writes about.
Many of us deal with dark clouds daily.
Health problems,
family problems,
heartaches and hurts from friends/family members.
But God’s Word promises, with the most solid assurance, that one day brokenness will be banished, our temporal journey will end, and we will receive the reward of a heavenly home in the presence of our Savior! (I Timothy 6:12)
Hold onto the precious reward Eliza sings about:
When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory.
And rest assuredly on the truth that as we journey,
we are never alone as the ancient hymn of the Israelites proclaims.
Make this song your own today!
I lift my eyes toward the mountains.
Where will my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to slip;
your Protector will not slumber.
Indeed, the Protector of Israel
does not slumber or sleep.
The Lord protects you;
the Lord is a shelter right by your side.
The sun will not strike you by day
or the moon by night.
The Lord will protect you from all harm;
he will protect your life.
The Lord will protect your coming and going
both now and forever. Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
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