1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” (John 14:1-4 NIV)
I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve spoken at funerals and shared this verse with the family and friends of those who have died. I’ve shared it in ornate modern-day cathedrals with pews filled with those who were grieving. I’ve shared it at lonely gravesides where there was only a handful of family members huddled together in the cold. This Scripture has soothed troubled souls and quieted desperate hearts. There is no greater comfort, at a time like that, than to be reminded that Jesus comes back to take His own home. I said, “home.” We so easily get confused and forget that this place–the place where we eat dinner, prop up our feet, and lay our head down at night–this is not our home.
I love Hebrews 11. It is often called, “The Hall of Faith.” It is a great chapter about men and women like Moses, Noah, Rahab, David, and others who trusted God through thick and thin. The line that I love the most is, “…And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.” (Hebrews 11:13 NIV)
They, like us, were here on assignment. We have a job to do and it is to walk by faith in our King, make Him known to a world living in darkness, and look forward to the day when He will come for us…just like He did them. When He comes for us He will take us home. I take great comfort in knowing that Jesus is busy preparing a place for me and for all of those who trust in Him. He has promised me that He is with me until that day. As I leave the house this morning, I’m not going by myself–my King goes with me. He is with me until that day He takes me home.