May 8, 2024

Psalm 73.25 (NIV)
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

Is there any kind of need in which God is not superior to any alternate source we could seek out to provide help?*

There is a movie, a comedy, in which the main character starts out dirt-poor and happy except for a small degree of dissatisfaction (long story) which leads him to leave home to seek his fortune. After he becomes rich and on top of the world, he’s still happy. Then he loses everything. In the scene where he is being evicted from his mansion, we see him declaring that he doesn’t need anything – except for some random articles that he gathers in his arms as he heads out the door. “I’ve got this lamp. That’s all I need. And this Thermos. This lamp and this Thermos. That’s all I need. And this paddle ball . . .” We get the idea that he was happy with nothing, he was happy with everything, and he can be happy with whatever he’s allowed to keep.

We get a similar impression of “satisfaction and complacency”* from the writer of this psalm. Whatever else heaven holds, he knows that he looks forward to it because of God’s presence there. It’s all he needs. Earth can offer nothing to contribute to his happiness and satisfaction.

 

We all look forward to reuniting with loved ones in heaven. I don’t know how we will get around the “no tears in heaven” promise when we realize that not everyone made it. Perhaps we will only remember the ones who are there. No matter who is there before us, no matter how much we loved each other on earth, no one will be able to get us in the door except Jesus. He is all we need.

His shed blood, death, and resurrection are the reasons I will be welcomed into Heaven one day.*