“When can I go to meet with God?” Psalm 42:2

Who’d have ever thought? Who’d have ever imagined heaven could be so close?

There was a time when meeting God wasn’t important to me. He was a sideline attraction. Oh, I loved Him, trusted in Him, worshiped Him, but I didn’t really know Him.

My friend Lisa, taught me to know God. We sat atop Clingman’s Dome watching the sun drift behind the mountains, the valley growing dark below and a cool summer breeze brushing across our faces. “I can’t wait to meet God.”

“What do you mean you can’t wait….do you want to die?” I asked. At the time I was an adult Christian but not a seasoned one.

“No, I don’t want to die, but it doesn’t mean I can’t be anxious for the day I see God. I’m not afraid. But I got a truckload of questions to ask Him?”

“You look forward to dying?” I asked somewhat puzzled.

“Well, I’m not waving my hands saying, ‘Take me, Take me,” but I’m excited for the day to come when I get to meet Christ face to face. All these years we’ve believed in God, trusted His ways—it’s been on faith. And imagine the moment all our faith becomes a reality. So, yeah, I’m anxious for the day I see Christ.”

Her enthusiasm spurred me to delve deeper into my relationship with Christ until I too, felt the excitement to meet God.

I hiked to the top of the mountain recently and when I crested the knoll and saw the spot where heaven touched earth, I was taken back. “Oh my word,” I said pointing across the pass, “There’s the entrance to heaven!” I thought of Lisa. “This is when faith becomes a reality.”

Over the years my love for Christ has crested a number of knolls. I’ve seen the world from the mountain top and looking down it’s so small compared to looking up at the vastness of heaven.

The joy of knowing Christ is the promise of meeting Him face to face. I’m excited. How about you? Until that day I’ll make every effort to walk with Him and let Him know that He is my life.

I am fortunate that He calls me His own and in a world that looks so bleak, who’d have ever thought I could long so for the Master? What a joy, what a promise to look forward to—the day we meet Christ face to face. Who’d have ever thought He’d be this close?

Eddie Jones and Cindy Sproles
are friends and co-founders of
ChristianDevotions.us. They
co-write the popular He Said, She Said
devotions and host BlogtalkRadio’s
Christian Devotions Speak UP! along with
Marianne Jordan.