When We All Get To Heaven (Joe Widick)

Good evening! Lord willing, I am now in Vietnam! Tonight's entry is from my former colleague/boss/elder/friend/brother in Christ, Joe Widick of Lebanon, Tennessee. Joe often fills in for me while I am out of the country! Pray for my mission!

Elaine and I fell in love with Baxter Institute in Honduras the very first year we attended a graduation.  Through the years we have grown closer and closer to those we work with in Honduras.  Our love for the school continues to grow each and every time we attend a graduation.  Our time in Honduras was filled with events and activities from 7:00 in the morning until 10:00 at night.  There are many highlights to the trip.  I would however like to focus on only one in this “journey.” 

Each evening we would gather as a group for a period of devotion.  The gringos and the Latin Americans.  In the devotional most everything was done in both English and Spanish.  One night as we sang, I began to think about what was actually taking place.  The song leaders would rotate singing in Spanish followed by the same song in English.  One of the songs that was sung was “When We all get to Heaven.”  It is a grand old song with a lot of meaning and anticipation of the day we get to go home and be with our father forever.  We sang that song in English first.  As we sang from memory, I admit I sang the words but didn’t really think about what was being said in that song.  When one of the graduates led the song in Spanish, I became more curious of what the words actually were.  By that time, I couldn’t even think of how the song begins, much less any of the words.  As I sat their humming the tune it hit me!! What a grand a glorious day it will be when we can all sit around the throne of God and sing praises to him.  I looked at the faces of those singing in Spanish and saw a joy as they sang with anticipation of that grand reunion.  I thought of all the hard work that was before these young men and women as they go into the fields to work for the kingdom.  I reflected of the hardships they will face, the opposition that Satan is going to bring to them, and yes the joys they will experience as the gospel message touches the hearts of those who hear the good news of Jesus Christ.  I looked at the little children that were either sitting by their sides or in their laps and worried about what they will have to face, but then a sense of peace flooded my heart in knowing that they have parents who love them and will be with them every step of the way. 

What about you?  Is there a joy and peace that fills your heart when you think about the grand reunion that awaits us.  Won’t it be grand to one day be sitting by one of these Latin Americans  around the throne of God?  “Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,  Sing his mercy and His grace:  In the mansions bright and blessed, He’ll prepare for us a place.  When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be. When we all see Jesus , We’ll sing and shout the victory” 

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

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E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com