Longing for home, the promised land, O Christ, our hope

Some days, we desperately yearn for suffering to end. With the Psalmists, we cry, “How long, oh Lord?” In those moments, God reminds me…we’re actually longing for home. What a kind Father to give us details of the end of every ache and loss, hope for reaching His promised land.

In “Old Covenant” days, He continually reminded His people of what they would experience in the promised land. That hope kept them going on the harsh, winding, exhausting, painful journey that lasted an entire generation (Joshua 3).

Their promised land merely foreshadows our true home! What a gift of God’s love! We know the end of His love story for us…

This hope keeps us going, too.

Longing for home, in righteousness, found only in Jesus Christ

How vast the mercy and the love which laid our sins on thee, 

and led thee to a cruel death, to set thy people free.

(“O Christ, Our Hope, Our Heart’s Desire,” Chandler, J., 1837)

According to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Pet. 3:13 ESV).

Jesus Himself is our only righteousness! ¹ He is literally alive, victoriously living right now in a resurrected body, seated at our Father’s right hand! ² We will see Him as He is!

But now the bands of death are burst, the ransom has been paid;
and thou art on thy Father’s throne, in glorious robes arrayed.

Because God called and raised us to new life with Jesus Christ already, ³ He promises that we will always live with Jesus in our promised land, with resurrected bodies, like His.  

We will live in the perfect place Jesus has already prepared for us ⁴ in our “New Covenant” eternal inheritance! ⁵ All of God’s covenant promises to us will be fulfilled entirely…for eternity.

Waiting for the promised land, with Jesus Christ

What a tremendous love promise that sustains me on the most exhausting and difficult days. For my longing? I long, but with Jesus here and now…He’s always with me in my ache. On those days, my cries mean I long for my true home where there is no sin…at all.

I read of God’s promised new heaven and earth and ache for its sinless, safe, perfect restoration. I’m excited to imagine my resurrected body rather than this decaying one. I can’t wait to hang out with my deceased loved ones in Christ and others whose words I’ve read and sung! I’m excited to meet and “do life” with believers in Christ reading this right now! 

I’m excited for the endless feasts, ⁶ the wedding feast as I join with all of the bride of Christ He’s creating in this current time of redemption, ⁷ within the sinless safety of all He’s transformed, ⁸ experiencing the brilliance of Revelation 21 and 22.

But most of all, I can’t wait to live with Jesus, there and forever.

Seeing God’s glory in our longing for home, O Christ, our hope

Lord, living here is so hard. Unsafe. Pain-full. Exhausting. Grief. Loss. Some days, the ache feels overwhelming. Wondering how we can keep going.

So, remind us that we’re almost home…with You. As we suffer in this fallen world infected by sin and all its resulting sufferings, please renew us with constant hope as we bring our pain to You and look forward to Your eternal promise fulfilled. ⁹

In the most harrowing moments, help us remember Your beautiful promise…it’s for every single day of our lives, however difficult they may be:

On the darkest days, remind us of who You are, Your unchanging glory. 

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (Jn. 1:14 ESV).

Help us to see glimpses of Your glory all around us. You’ve shown us so much recently! 

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork (Ps. 19:1 ESV).

O Christ, our hope, our heart’s desire, redemption’s only spring! 

Creator of the world art thou, its Savior and its King.

Help us to thank You for Your daily, glorious gifts.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change (Jas. 1:17 ESV).

Singing praise to You, O Christ, into my longing for home

Stir us to interrupt our longing with praise, our glorious Promise-keeper. For You promise that Your beloved in Christ will one day join in the unending song of praise to You!

So, help us to sing with hope, as we wait for that day…today and every day:

O Christ, be thou our lasting joy, our ever great reward!
Our only glory may it be

to glory in the Lord!

In the name of our glorious Lord, Jesus Christ, amen. 

Material adapted from Praying God’s Promises Into Suffering: A Devotional Bible Study Prayer Journal, Lauri A. Hogle, © 2023

This week’s playlist gift and other resources of Singing Christ’s Hope

This week, we’re sing-praying our longing and waiting, but with sure hope. We’re praising our glorious Lord Jesus as we imagine the day we see and live with Him! Perhaps this will give us all His sustaining strength to endure hardship right now. For we are longing…

for…Jesus.

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1. Jeremiah 23:5-6; Romans 4:22-25, 8:10, 10:4, 9-11; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 4:24; 1 John 2:28-29  ↩︎
2. Colossians 3:1 ↩︎
3. Ephesians 2:6 ↩︎
4. John 14:2-3 ↩︎
5. Ephesians 1; Hebrews 9:15 ↩︎
6.  Isaiah 25:6 ↩︎
7. Revelation 19:6-9 ↩︎
8. Isaiah 11:6-9 ↩︎
9. 1 Corinthians 15:19; 2 Corinthians 4:18; Colossians 1:5 ↩︎