Some pastors enjoy praying from passages that contain God’s promises for a later time, as a taste of heaven. Take the sweet promises in Isaiah 65:24, for example. It says, “It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer. And, while they are still speaking, I will hear.” That is a promise of God that we often claim in our mission, yet even after we call, it seems God does not answer.
What could the problem be? It is because the promise is a taste of heaven, where only a handful of Christians on earth are. What? Half of the world identifies as Christian, and yet, you are saying only a handful of Christians can experience this advertisement of heaven? That is correct, because most of the people who check the Christianity box on their civil forms are CINO.
CINO stands for Christian In Name Only (we borrowed it from political parties). Now, God wants us to enjoy the taste of Heaven so that we can be inspired to wish to be there. If you are old or becoming old, this is a source of great hope. To know that you can go to a place where your every wish is a command is a soothing balm to those aches and pains. Even for young people, a taste of Heaven quickens their desire to be with God.
We Mostly Do Not Enjoy A Taste of Heaven
The passage under review is like a free sample, which all advertisers give. Especially if you are selling something intangible, such as driving traffic to a website or increasing sales. In the same way, God knows that the idea of Heaven is somewhat fuzzy to a lot of people. That is why He gives us a taste of heaven as a free sample to experience what lies in store when we finally arrive.
The free sample is available, but how many of us take advantage of it? The answer is in your heart and in your life. To help make sense of that, we ask the question another way. How often do you experience God anticipating your needs? Jesus told His followers that their Father (God) knew their needs before they asked.
Does God appear to know your needs before you ask, or do you have to declare a night vigil to make your requests known to Him? This is why we say the answer to whether or not you are enjoying a taste of heaven is within you. Only you know. Even your pastor cannot tell you if you are taking advantage of the free sample, a taste of Heaven.
Why Does God Give A Free Sample?
The only way you can tell from the outside is how long a person prays. I recall a Sunday about sixteen years ago when I badly needed mercy in a particular area of my life (when do we not need mercy?). God told me to remind Him that He was plenteous in mercy. I got ready and went to church, where, because it was the last Sunday of the year, the Pastor encouraged us to write our prayer requests.
That pastor’s idea was that, by shredding the pieces of paper, we could leave those problems behind in the dying year. Not sure if that stance was biblical, I wrote, but only one sentence. I reminded God, as instructed, that He was plenteous in mercy. My friend wondered why the task took me less than a minute. I explained that I had already had a taste of Heaven before leaving home.
We saw earlier that heaven seems distant to most of us. Besides, you only give a free sample when you are certain that your product is so good that a purchase will result. God tells you about His “product” in earlier verses before inviting you to the free sample, a taste of heaven.
Heaven Is Beautiful
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create. For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing and her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people. The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, nor the voice of crying. No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days. For the child shall die one hundred years old, but the sinner being one hundred years old, shall be accursed.”
“My people shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat. For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people. And My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth children for trouble. For they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.”
If the above does not motivate you to ask for the free sample and enjoy a taste of heaven while here on earth, nothing will. The good news is that once you put your trust in Jesus and make Heaven your goal, you can have the free sample, a taste of heaven, today. What are you waiting for?
Maranatha!
