by Barbara Lane Geistfeld, D.V.M.
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith” (Philippians 1:21-25).
Sometimes, in the daily grind of trials, disappointments, troubles, and all those things that drag us down, we may find ourselves longing for heaven as did the Apostle Paul. Family troubles, financial troubles, health troubles, societal troubles … the list is endless and unrelenting. It often seems that our “up days” and the joy found in them are quickly smothered in yet another trouble. Do we not sometimes wish that it would all end and we could go to be with the Lord now?
I believe God understands this longing to be with Him. This desire has been found in the hearts of believers since the beginning. “How long, O Lord” is a plaintive cry that has reverberated throughout the centuries.
Part of this longing, at least for me, is based on personal weariness, depression, and feelings of futility and hopelessness. When I start to focus on myself, my problems, and the world’s problems instead of God’s plans for my life and His plans for the world, it is easy to be overwhelmed.
Paul’s answer to this desire to “depart and be with Christ” was to focus on those around him and to remind himself that he was needed here on earth for their sake, not his own comfort. Going to be with the Lord is not meant to be an escape from the responsibilities and good works God has prepared in advance for us to do!
God’s Word is full of stories of people who gave up, got discouraged, and quit. His response to them was words of encouragement and support, a call to courage and perseverance, a call to strengthen trembling knees and put on the armor of God.
King David suffered through all these things that we have mentioned here and would have had good reason to want to depart and be with God. Instead, he writes in Psalm 27:13-14:
“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
No matter what our days bring, God is the answer. His love never ends. His strength is our strength. He cares about each one of us in the most intimate of relationships. Through Jesus, we are His beloved children. We are here, in the land of the living, for His good purpose and at His will. Each day is a day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!