This is a translation of a scriptural meditation from the Russian book, "Day by Day:
Scripture: “Never again will they hunger or thirst. The sun will not beat down upon them, nor any scorching heat” (Rev: 7,16)
Meditation:
"He will look for [the sheep] “until he finds it” (Luke: 15, 4), and the ones whom he finds “never again will hunger or thirst…and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes (Rev: 7, 16-17). Let us remember that these words refer to the spirits of the “righteous, who have reached perfection” (Heb: 12, 23), and to those who “have come from great tribulation” (Rev: 7, 14) to a wonderful spiritual inheritance, whose hunger was a hunger of the spirit, and whose thirst was a thirst of the heart. This is your “anchor, steady and secure behind the curtain” (Heb: 6, 19). It stands against everything and behind it there is the radiance of joy and indescribable bliss. The word of God prompts us “live by the Spirit” (Gal: 5, 16) and at the same time to convert and be like children (Matt: 18,3) in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The wisdom of these words lives on for centuries, but always remains new.
"Joining already now with those who are “members of God’s household” (Eph: 2,19) in the conviction that we are surrounded by His Angels, who protect us “in all our ways” (Ps: 91, 11), we will find our specific place and the work which no one can do for us. In the hope of God the Comforter, Who understands us better than any earthly friend, let us go bravely forward, “forgetting what is behind, striving towards the goal and the honor of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil: 3, 13-14). Who knows the full power of love that holds the world together? This earthly life is not the end of everything. It is surrounded by the fullness of eternal life, and we are surrounded by a “cloud of witnesses” (Heb: 12, 1), whom we should not forget. The air itself is saturated with love which responds to our every sigh and understands our smallest impulse. The Lord “crowns us with loving kindness and tender mercies” (Ps: 103, 4), and when He meets us there where there are “many dwellings”, we will understand that He has fulfilled the “desire of our heart” (Ps:37,4).
“In God’s hands we will find comfort and peace which we are deprived of on earth. He knows better than anyone how difficult it is to be misunderstood by those whom we love. His perfect love commiserates with all our trials, and in our moment of difficulty He whispers to us: “Come to Me, I will calm you, I love you”. He loves us as no one who has not suffered as He suffered can love. And He experienced the complete denial of His will, submitting completely to the will of the Father. Pray as He prayed: “Thy will be done!” and the answer will finally come and will engulf our soul with a wave of complete and perfect peace, like a ray of light fills a dark room when you open the door. He will enter and fill all your spiritual emptiness with Himself, and there will be no more sickness or sadness or sorrow or uneasiness, but a complete, perfect, understandable answer to all our prayers and the fulfillment of all our hopes. The Lord will be with us, and we will be satisfied.”
In Goffar’s “C.S. Lewis Index” there are over 120 references to Heaven. In “The Problem of Pain”, an entire chapter is dedicated to “Heaven”. But the descriptive images which come to my mind first are from “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”, where Reepicheep finally paddles into Aslan’s country beyond The End of the World; the Bright Spirits in “The Great Divorce”; and the last two chapters of “The Last Battle”.
And when I searched for “heaven” in our new SpareOom format, I discovered that there have been more then 200 posts about this subject over the years! Fascinating!
Dimitry
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever.” (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8)