Lift my gaze upward instead of inward and restore the joy of my salvation. Oh, how I long for You!
Many years ago, when my oldest sons were teens and my younger children were still in elementary school, I went through a dark period of discontentment I couldn’t quite define. It wasn’t that I was lacking any physical or emotional need, and my spiritual life felt strong and steady.
One night, when on a family vacation, I went for a walk on the beach. I cried out to God about my discontentment, admitting I was unhappy for no apparent reason. As I stood along the shore gazing at the night sky, I noticed a group of stars in the formation of a cross. It was a formation I’d never seen before. In that moment, I heard the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit reminding me that, through Christ, I’d been given everything.
My discontentment had nothing to do with my earthly circumstances, but was, in fact, a heavenly longing. It was a desire for all that was holy, righteous, just, and good. The problem was, my focus was inward instead of upward.
If you’re struggling with discontentment and are wondering why, perhaps it’s a heavenly longing. Here are a few biblical aspects to consider:
A Longing for Our Heavenly Home
“Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” 2 Corinthians 5:2-5
As I look around my house, I see all the things we’ve collected over the years, things that are important to us and things we enjoy. Yet, I know this home is temporary, and we won’t be taking anything with us to heaven.
Longing for our heavenly home means we hold loosely to our earthly possessions and look forward to the treasures stored up for us. It’s like a storage unit filled with rare and beautiful things of which we will one day be handed the key. The Holy Spirit is our deposit, guaranteeing what is to come—eternity with our Lord and Savior.
If you’re feeling discontent in your current surroundings, remember it is not your true home. As Jesus said in John 14:1-3, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 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.”
Surrender your troubled heart to the Lord and thank Him for the beautiful place He is preparing. Look forward to your heavenly home with anticipation and expectation!
Lord, I trust that You are preparing a place for me, and I can’t wait to be where You are.
A Longing for Our Thirst to be Quenched
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” Psalm 42:1-2
Have you ever been so parched only water could quench your thirst? Soda, sweet tea, and lemonade aren’t usually the beverages we choose when severely dehydrated. And so it is with discontentment. It leaves us feeling parched with only one source of water, Jesus, who can quench it.
As David cried from the desert, “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”
The drought of our hearts causes a deep thirst only God can quench, and He invites us to open wide our mouths so He can fill them. As mentioned in Psalm 81:10, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.”
When feelings of discontentment rise, recognize it as a desert season. Open wide your mouth to receive the life-giving refreshment only Jesus can give, and continue seeking Him with your whole heart.
Lord, as I seek You in a dry and weary land, shower me with life-giving peace and refreshment.
A Longing for a New Country
“All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously, people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” Hebrews 11:13-16 (NLT)
There was a time in my life when I was always looking ahead to something different, something more. It was unsettling for my husband who was steady in his job and loved the life we were living.
It wasn’t until that night on the beach, when I admitted my discontentment to God, that I felt a strong shift in my spirit. The reminder that I’d been given everything through Christ Jesus was my wake-up call. I remember returning home from that trip and seeing the 1982 linoleum in the kitchen. For the first time, I thanked God for it and never complained about it again.
My longing for something more turned into a longing for my heavenly homeland, a new country far above this earthly existence. What a day that will be when I get to walk the streets of gold in the city God has prepared! I’ll meet the men and women of faith who’ve gone before me and ask all the questions I’ve been wanting to ask.
Most of all, discontentment will be a thing of the past. The trials of this life will grow dim as the glory of God shines bright. As Revelation 21:23-24 describes, “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.”
If you’ve struggled with discontentment, let the Lord quench every longing by reminding you this is not your home. There is a heavenly homeland waiting for you. Enjoy the life you’ve been given with understanding that the best is yet to come. One day, your true longing will be fulfilled when you meet Jesus face to face.
Lord, as I sojourn on this earth, help me dream of my heavenly homeland and eternity with You. Lift my gaze upward instead of inward and restore the joy of my salvation. Oh, how I long for You!
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