“My life is an example to many, because You have been my strength and protection. That is why I can never stop praising You; I declare Your glory all day long.” (Psalm 71:7-8 NLT)
These words of David resonate with my spirit. As the Lord becomes dearer and my end grows nearer, I find that it’s harder to find the right words to convey what my heart is singing. The longing I now have to be with Him is growing stronger every day. And, yes, I realize He’s with me every second of every day, but there are so many distractions, so many pulls on my heart that demand my attention.
And no, that’s not all bad. There are people and things here that I love and enjoy, but my heart belongs to my Savior, and my soul will not rest until it finds its rest in Him. Some who read these articles each day will understand what I’m saying, because your heart also longs to finally and forever be with your Savior.
The Lord has made it clear that neither I, nor you, will be here one second longer than He has planned, and when we leave, our work will be done. Prayerfully, our legacy of love for the Lord will live on, but the reality is, some have been offended by our intimacy with the Lord, believing our love for Him has distracted from our love for them.
Honestly, I wrestle with how to better represent Him in all of my relationships, but especially with those I love the most. It may seem odd that my love for words as I write often escapes me when I speak. I am not and have never been a very effective speaker, but because I can write, then wait and go back to ponder what the Lord has given me, listen more carefully, rewrite, listen, etc. I find much more satisfaction in writing than in speaking, even in casual conversation.
It’s getting harder to keep a train of thought, or to pay close attention to what my mind deems trivial. Perhaps that seems uncaring or unkind, but I don’t intend it to be. I want to be present, attentive, caring, compassionate, and all the other positive attributes a person should have for another human being, but at times my heart is so focused on heaven it’s difficult to care what’s happening here on earth.
As my bad days are squeezing out my good days, my longing to be with the Lord increases and it’s frustrating some days to realize I’m still here. The Lord is as real to me now as the air I breathe, speaking, communicating in unmistakable ways. There’s nothing to compare with intimacy with the Lord. Nothing on earth can satisfy the deep longings of our soul like closeness to the Lord.
Are you there, my friend? Is listening to His heart more important than listening to your electronic devices, communicating with your friends, checking your emails, texts, or surfing the web? Until God’s voice, spoken through His Word, through prayer and meditation, is your most longed for communication you may never understand my longing for heaven.
And please don’t misunderstand. My life here is wonderful. My family is loving, caring, supportive and I enjoy my time with them. When I’m feeling bad and lying in bed, my two pups are curled up, one next to me and one on my head. What’s not to love about that? 😊 There is plenty to love and live for here, but the closer I get to the Lord, the stronger the longing to leave what’s here and to be with Him in heaven.
Even as I end this article, I realize my words have failed to adequately describe the longings of my heart, my desire to give expression to how much you’re missing without Jesus. Please stop running and commit your life without reservation into His loving care.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 
I’m there with you in this brother, as I feel the same way. Steve
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