A Place Called Earth
(Jon Foreman)
Made for the Next Life
LYRICS (Click to minimize)
Oh, how I long for heaven in a place called Earth
Where every son and daughter will know their worth
Where all of the streets resound with thunderous joy
Oh, how I long for heaven in a place called earth
Oh, the wars we haven’t won
Oh, the songs we’ve left unsung
Oh, the dreams we haven’t seen
The borderlines
And here we are between all of our hopes and fear
Chasing down these stolen years
Reaching out for hands unseen
On the borderline, the borderline
Oh, how I long for heaven in a place called Earth
Where every son and daughter would know their worth
Where all the streets resound with thunderous joy
Oh, how I long for heaven in a place called Earth
Jesus’ name still on her tongue
Questions buried in her lungs:
Oh my Father, why my son?
On the borderlines, the borderlines
Oh, how I long for heaven in a place called Earth
Where every son and daughter will know their worth
Where all the streets resound with thunderous joy
Oh, how I long for heaven in a place called Earth
I had a dream that I finally saw your face
Dancing in the arms of grace
Dancing through the joy and pain
On the borderlines, the borderlines
Oh, how I long for heaven in a place called Earth
Where every son and daughter will know their worth
Where all the streets resound with thunderous joy
Oh, how I long for heaven in a place called Earth
Oh, how I long for heaven in a place called earth
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Jon Foreman / Tim Foreman / Lauren Daigle
© Centricity Songs, Pubalicious, Rubadub Rublishing Publishing
CCLI License #632898
These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had the opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
Hebrews 11:13-16 (ESV)
Is faith its own reward? We often talk about faith in our churches and homes, and we know it is a good thing. We know that Christians are supposed to have faith. We know, in fact, that faith is commanded in the Bible. But does faith literally bring any reward, or does it only bring about pain?
Our life experiences may tell us drastically different things. We often hear testimonies of famous Christians who “only believed” and were rewarded in many ways. Some were rewarded financially and materially. Some were rewarded with massively successful ministries. Some were rewarded with the love of family and friends, or a devoted fanbase. Looking at these stories, we praise God for rewarding the faith of His faithful!
At the same time, we know that life often tells us a different story. We see faithful ministers and servants of God show no fruits in their ministries. We see devoted Christians die in tragic and untimely ways. We see the most generous people lose everything they have in financial crises. Of what good is faith in these times?
Take heart, faithful reader. It is true that faith does not preclude pain. We see both biblical and historical Christians, as well as our friends in church, go through unbearable pain and suffering. Faith does not preclude pain, but transcends it. We have a faith greater than the pain in this world.
That does not mean that our pain is eradicated, or even diminished. But we can endure it knowing that the God we believe in is greater than our circumstances and greater than our pain. Even in the face of pain, in the face of suffering, and in the face of death, we know that we are in His hands.
Praise the Lord! He who could have simply demanded our faith with no recompense is offering us a reward beyond this realm. Truly, whether we are rewarded in this life or not, we hold onto a greater reward. In faith, we suffer in this life, knowing we will receive our recompense in the next. In faith, we cry in this life, knowing that God will wipe away our tears in the next. In faith, we feel the pain in this life, knowing that we are called to a perfect place in the next. In faith, we are shamed by the world in this life, knowing that God will not be ashamed to be our God in the next.
Be strong in your faith, dear reader. One day, all will be made right.
“If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”1
– C.S. Lewis
1 Lewis, C.S. Mere Christianity. Simon and Schuster, 1996.