Is it Wrong That My Ill Grandmother Constantly Prays That She Will Die And Go to Heaven?

Q: My mother is quite old and in bad health. She constantly prays that she might just die and go to Heaven. Is that wrong? — A.W.

A: No, it isn’t wrong. In fact, if Christians never yearn for Heaven, it may mean we’ve become too satisfied, or too preoccupied, with our lives right now! It’s easy to become so overwhelmed with our problems that we focus only on what is happening to us at the moment. But they ought to make us focus instead on Heaven and on the hope we have because of Christ. The Lord is with us through our sufferings, and He awaits us as we emerge on the other side of the tunnel of testing — into the light of His glorious presence to live with Him forever.

Remember: Heaven is our true home, and many times we grow homesick for Heaven — especially in the midst of the sin, sufferings, and sorrows of this life. A tug at our souls for Heaven is homesickness coupled with anticipation. It might be in God’s sovereignty that he allows our eyesight to cast a dim view of the “here and now” so that we may focus our spiritual eyes on the “ever-after.”

The Apostle Paul, who knew what it was to suffer, discovered this truth in his own life: “For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). We shouldn’t allow the burdens and hardships of this life to distract or discourage us. We must keep our eyes firmly fixed on what God has promised at the end of the journey: Heaven itself. Take comfort in knowing that our loved ones who belong to the Lord look forward to being in His eternal presence.

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

(c)2018 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.