Longing for Home - Martin Wiles

He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT

Longing for home can make the heart grow fonder; it can also cause it to grow callous.

Deployed soldiers know this well. Tours of duty seem forever. Years pass without them seeing their loved ones. Letters, texts, emails, and phone calls are the best they can hope for. Though technological advances have changed the scenario, they still don’t bring the loved one home.

Sadly, for some, the longing for home can sour if they receive a “Dear John” correspondence. Their loved one couldn’t stand the loneliness any longer. Or another came along and wooed them away, giving them the immediate attention they weren’t getting from the one separated from them.

A perusal of world history reveals the truth of the writer’s conclusion. God has placed a longing for eternity in our hearts. Rarely, if ever, could we locate a people group who didn’t worship something. The recognition of a higher power is prevalent. God has planted this longing in our souls so we will look beyond ourselves to him.

While I enjoy this earth, I long for something better: a new heaven and a new earth. A place where I can see and fellowship with the Savior who died for me. A place where I can meet all the saints who’ve gone before me and see my family members. No more being limited through Bible study, prayer, and listening to the Spirit. A place where all the manifestations of evil will be removed. A place where purity will reign as it did when God first created the earth.

I’ve lived in places where I didn’t feel at home. Neither should we on earth. We don’t feel at home here because we don’t belong here—at least not as it is in its current form. 

If we feel at home here—if we stop longing for what’s ahead—we’ll fall into the same trap many spouses, boyfriends, and girlfriends did. We’ll look for present things to satisfy us. And they can’t. Only when we’re home will we be completely content.

Are you longing for home or living as if this is your home?

Prayer: Father, help us not to get too attached to the things of this world. 

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