THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14
“we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.”
Hebrews 6:18-19 (NLT2)
ANCHOR OF HOPE: HEAVEN IS AHEAD
Back in February 2017, Animal Adventure Park directed April the giraffe’s fans to the giraffe’s livestream, where she was preparing to give birth, but the mom didn’t actually give birth to the calf until April 15. During the two months of waiting, April and her new arrival became Internet sensations. According to Google, April the giraffe’s YouTube stream for her baby’s birth, Tajiri, received more than 232 million live views, which added up to 7.6 billion minutes of live watch-time. On the day April welcomed her baby boy to the world, more than 14 million people tuned in, with 1.2 million from around the world watching the actual birth as it happened. At the time, these numbers made the arrival one of the top five most-watched moments for a live event ever on YouTube. (People.com)
There is something inside of us that is hard wired for hope and anticipation. The author of Hebrews appeals to this hard wiring when he writes, “we hold to the hope that lies before us… It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.” God’s inner sanctuary represents the place where God dwells. And the hope of the early church was one day they would enter into God’s presence in heaven.
We still have the same hope of being with God in heaven one day. The anticipation of that baby giraffe’s birth was almost unprecedented in live streamed events. And yet that excitement doesn’t even come close to the joy that we will experience when we enter into God’s eternal presence in heaven. In the midst of whatever storms you are facing, encourage yourself with the reminder that this world is temporary and one day we can look forward to our eternal home in heaven. Perhaps you can take a walk outside today and look toward the sky while you’re walking. And while you walk think about heaven and talk to God.
