Heaven Just Got Sweeter!

I may have mentioned this before, but I have a routine that I’ve been following for a few years each morning when I start my daily Bible Study.  On my note page I begin with the date and then write, “What Am I Expecting Today?”  I have discovered that this little phrase wets my appetite and fires up my faith so as to be excited about whatever the Lord has for me to learn from His Word and then do that day!

Last year, as Piper’s physical condition worsened in the natural, I added a little caveat into my start-the-day-off confession with the little word “VISION.”  So, each day I would write down and ask myself, “What VISION am I expecting today?”  Then I would jot down a pertinent scripture verse or thought concerning her healing that I felt had a special anointing for that particular day.

A few days after she passed, I had to pause when I started to write down my “What VISION am I expecting today” confession… and suddenly something special dropped into my heart and a rather large smile broke out on my face.  After the word “VISION” I added a capital “S” and underlined it.  I realized then and there, that Piper had given to me another vision for my life…   A vision of heaven!  So now I write down at least two visions that I am expecting each day with the first being “Piper rejoicing in heaven!”  And I have to admit that it has made me smile every single day since then, minus none!

Besides giving me a vision of her being completely healed and whole and rejoicing around the throne of God, it gave me a vivid hope for my eventual residence there and maybe more importantly, I discovered that with her passing, I have been totally set-free from a fear of death!

There is a song played on Sirius XM’s Southern Gospel station enLighten, performed by The Kingdom Heirs from their album “The Last Big Thing” that is entitled “Heaven Just Got Sweeter For You.”  The lyrics tell the story of the passing of a loved one “who loved Jesus too,” went to heaven and is now living free from the long bearing sickness and pain that they had endured.  But there is one part at the end of the chorus that touches my heart and literally brings me to tears every time I hear it.

The chorus goes: (it is written for the passing of a father, but of course I think of Piper…)

“Heaven just got sweeter for you,

The one you love loved Jesus too

No more suffering or pain

Now he’s in that place where all things are new

Even though you’re hurting like this

He knows you know where he is

And some day he’ll come running when you get there too

Heaven just got sweeter for you.”

It is the vivid picture of my Piper running up to me and embracing me once again, that sends through me a “joy (that is) inexpressible and full of glory!” (I Peter 1:8 NASB)

Another thought that arose in me the other day was that Piper is now in the place where there is nothing between believing and receiving from God, as there is on this earth.  When we first studied the teaching on Mark 11:24 where Jesus told His disciples concerning their walk of faith, “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them,” (KJV) it literally revolutionized our faith and lit a fire in us to seek after the things of God that was never quenched in the over 40 years that followed.

Jesus told us to pray and believe (whether you see the answer or not) at the moment you pray… and the answer will eventually come.  In John chapters 12,14 & 16 Jesus tells us that the devil is now the prince of this world.  Other scriptures tell us that when Adam rebelled against the command of God in the Garden of Eden, that he turned the authority of this earth over to the great deceiver, the devil.  When a person excepts Jesus as personal Savor and Lord, the devil’s authority over them (the believer) is broken… but he (the devil) still has the ability to exert mayhem in this world (until Jesus returns) that interferes with a believer’s faith.  That mayhem or interference is the something that gets between our believing and receiving when we pray to God and take a stand of faith that is based on His Word.

But in heaven… well… the devil has absolutely no voice, no influence, no nothing!  That is why there is no sickness, sadness, poverty or any negative activity in heaven.  A believer in heaven believes and instantly receives!  And that is where Piper resides… Oh GLORY!  I can’t hardly imagine the JOY that is etched permanently on her face!

And when I get there (after I complete all that the Father has for me to do here and now), I can’t wait to be greeted by Jesus and then turn to find Piper running up to me with open arms… and you guessed it… a huge, joy-filled smile! 

I hope that the glimpse of heaven in today’s blog post gives you a giant boost as you realize that “Heaven Just Got Sweeter For You!”  Have a wonderful day as you think on what’s waiting for you in heaven, and as you do, say with me… “I am expecting a sweet place in heaven that is being prepared just for me!”