Wishing You Were Here ...

A few weeks ago, the idea to listen to this song came to mind. I don't know why, but vivid images of a future time popped in my mind -- dreams of the New Earth, and how much I wanted my family to be there.

Lately, I have been reading the book, "Heaven", by Randy Alcorn. It's a wonderful treat to read, and extremely encouraging for believers; the hope of Heaven, of new heavens, a new Earth, with resurrected bodies, people, nations, friendships, loves, families, and everything wonderful about the current Earth retained and magnified to glorious perfection and shining majesty, with absolutely none of the evil we currently see. After reading it along with Scripture, meditating on its words, and imagining it, I can boldly and confidently state that the more one thinks correctly of Heaven, the more they fall in love with God Almighty, and the more of an earthly good they become. And, the more they pray for the lost, for those who have not yet surrendered lordship of their life to Jesus Christ.

Which brings me to my most pressing, and most heartfelt concern -- my beloved wife, who does not yet know the LORD. When I listen to this seemingly secular song, I think of her. I imagine myself standing on the magnificent shores of the New Earth, my eyes witnessing for the final time the fate of the damned, of those who did not put their trust in Jesus Christ. I imagine myself standing as I watch them being swallowed by the burning blackness of a swirling hole; their screams of torment loudly wailing as it devours them whole in its gaping mouth. I imagine my beloved wife among them, reaching her hand out to me as she looks on me a final time, crying for me to save her. I reach out as well, wishing I could do something, wishing she were here.. wishing she were here standing with me, ready to run with abandon to explore the glorious new world.

But, I have no power to save. Mankind has no power to redeem himself or others of his kind. Only the LORD, only Jesus Christ, and only Christ's shed blood on Calvary has the power to cleanse sin, to make one righteous before a Holy God. I imagine a tear trickling down my face as my beloved is swallowed up, having lost everything -- possessions, name, soul, and even humanity. Each of us had to make our own choice before God because each of us is responsible for our own relationship with God.

By all that is holy, THIS is not what I want for her! This awful fate is not what I desire for my beloved wife. I will never give her to the enemy, or any other! If there is anyone who I would give her away to, it would only be the LORD. It is my strong desire to have my wife walk together, run together, play together, learn, love, and grow together on a New Earth, in resurrected bodies, with a perfected, resurrected relationship! How I long it to be so. How I long to tell her, to point to her other family members on the New Earth and tell her that we will all be together now; that there is nobody to stand in our way any more of loving relationships. Not sin, not death, not disease, not time, not devil, and not Curse. How I long to have her and her family, and my own family with me on the New Earth where nothing selfish will ever get in the way again, where we will have time, ad infinitum, to live, love, and learn! How my heart burns to have her beside me, and say that we will never lack for anything, nor will we ever hurt or die ever again! And not only for her, but the members of our family.

I pray for her each and every day. I pray that the LORD will work a miracle in her heart. I pray that the LORD will do whatever it takes to save her; and not just her, but my mother and father-in-laws, my parents, my grandpa, her sisters, my sister, and everyone else in the family so we can all be together again in truth, love, and glory. If you're reading this, please pray for her and our loved ones as well. I don't want to be there without her. I don't want to be singing this song on the shores of the New Earth. I don't want to "wish she were here", I want her to be already there with me! Earth has no hurt that Heaven cannot cure. The Bible tells us that Jesus will wipe away every tear from our eyes. I pray that the tears I shed are not those of my wife not being with me...