SHORELESS OCEAN

SHORELESS OCEAN

I will be their God.
Jeremiah 31:33

I have been thinking a lot recently about the personal effect on my life of the outpouring of the Spirit upon me in 1994. The first, and most important, effect was my sudden awareness of God Himself. Suddenly, He was everywhere. As a result of that heaven became more real to me. I began to see that heaven is an eternal unveiling of God’s goodness. Because of this, heaven is unspeakable. It will be a place of inexhaustible, unspeakable joy that will increase throughout eternity. Here is a quote from Spurgeon about the personal nature of God and the infinite implications.

“Come, soul, here is music fit for heaven in this thy portion, for God is the Maker of Heaven. Not all the music blown from sweet instruments, or drawn from living strings, can yield such melody as this sweet promise, I will be their God. Here is a deep sea of bliss, a shoreless ocean of delight; come, bathe thy spirit in it; swim an age, and thou shalt find no shore; dive throughout eternity, and thou shalt find no bottom. I will be their God. If this do not make thine eyes sparkle, and thy heart beat high with bliss, then assuredly thy soul is not in a healthy state. But thou wantest more than present delights-thou cravest something concerning which thou mayest exercise hope; and what more canst thou hope for than the fulfilment of this great promise, I will be their God? This is the masterpiece of all the promises; its enjoyment makes a heaven below, and will make a heaven above. Dwell in the light of thy Lord, and let thy soul be always ravished with his love. Get out the marrow and fatness which this portion yields thee. Live up to thy privileges, and rejoice with unspeakable joy.”

Spurgeon’s words sound strangely familiar, almost like the words from another century before him, the words of Jonathan Edwards.

“In heaven alone is attainment of our highest good. God is the highest good of the reasonable creature. The enjoyment of him is our proper happiness, and is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here: better than fathers and mothers, husbands,wives, or children, or the company of any or all earthly friends. These are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams; but God is the sun. These are but streams; but God is the fountain. These are but drops; but God is the ocean.”

There are so many side journeys and traps even a Christian can fall into in this life. We may no longer visit the worldly haunts from days gone by, but our souls can easily try to be satisfied with other wells; wells like ambition, accomplishment, and our even family. These are just shadows, God is the substance. Go ahead, jump into God’s ocean of love, it might be closer than you ever thought.