Your Heart for Eternity
God’s Heart
Open your heart to the verses we read together from God’s Word. Opening your heart to God’s Word is a beautiful, life-altering experience. His Word reveals the very heart and character of God to us. God’s Word is His heart. As we read it and reflect upon it, the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts and guides us according to His perfect will for our lives.
We have established that the innermost part of each of us was created by God to be a dwelling place for Jesus. Because of that, there is a hunger for Him that all human hearts experience that cannot be satisfied by anything else. The good news is that Jesus truly desires to come in and fill our hearts with Himself - with all of His fullness.
Scripture also speaks of our hearts as being marked for eternity. We tend to think of eternity as something that begins at the moment of death, but actually the very opposite is true. Eternity, in fact, is part of who we are from the very beginning. It is not a far-off distant promise. Rather, as image bearers - those created in the image of God - we are made for eternity. We might even say that eternity is built into our spiritual DNA. We inherit it as children of God - those created in His image.
In addition, as Christ-followers, above all other forms of citizenship in our lives, we are citizens of heaven. Because of our heavenly citizenship, we never feel completely at home on earth, and that’s okay. A longing for our eternal home is built into us.
Genesis 1:27:
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Ecclesiastes 3:11:
…he has put eternity into man’s heart
Philippians 3:20:
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ...
All of eternity spent in the presence of God has always been His plan for us - a plan that has included the shed blood of Jesus Christ since the beginning. All of Old Testament Scripture points to it, and all of the New Testament demonstrates it. In Christ Jesus, we, as His followers, are promised eternal life. One day, sin and the death it brings will become our past, and life - abundant life - the life only Christ can give - will be ours for all of eternity. Our hearts know it and wait for it because the Lord has put this promise in our hearts.
1 John 2:25:
And this is the promise that he made to us - eternal life.
Romans 6:23:
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This forward-looking concept of a permanent home with Jesus is seen throughout all of Scripture. The patriarchs looked forward to Jesus before they really knew who He was. They lived in faith, trusting that He would come and that He would provide for them into eternity.
The author of the book of Hebrews speaks of Abraham, as well as other heroes of our faith - those who lived in faith trusting God to fulfill His promises. He speaks of how they didn’t see those promises fulfilled on earth in their lifetime, but looked forward to their fulfillment in eternity.
Hebrew 11:8-10:
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
Hebrews 13:14:
For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
When Abraham left everything He knew to follow God’s call, he had to trust God with all of his heart for the things eternal. Jesus becomes our forever home when we give our lives to Him, but we truly aren’t so different from Abraham as we wait, trust, and hope. We must walk into each day on this earth trusting God.
Even with the knowledge of our true citizenship, it is difficult at times for us to see past the moment. All of our lives are lived in tents in a sense. The storms of life blow, the water seeps in and it is rough at times, but a city that has foundations awaits us in eternity. One day everything will be made right, and we will live in a city designed and built by God.
John 16:21-22:
When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and our hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.
Jonathan Edwards, an 18th century preacher and theologian used to pray, “Lord stamp eternity on my eyeballs.” Edwards understood that seeing everything that happens here on earth through the lens of eternity gives our lives new meaning - the deepest sort of meeting. May we join him in that prayer.
Share Your Heart
Consider the following discussion starters as you share your hearts with one another:
As image bearers - those who were created to bear the image of God - we are made for eternity. Does contemplating the idea that you were made for eternity and that God has, therefore, put eternity into your heart change your perspective in any way?
Paul says in Philippians 3:20 that we await from heaven a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. As image bearers, we wait for Jesus, even if unknowingly. Our hearts long to be home with Him. Do you sense a sort of homesickness for eternity with Jesus in your heart? How do you think that longing can be satisfied, though not fully, here on earth?
How can we set our minds on things that count for eternity? What do you think counts for eternity?
The Cries of Your Heart
At Hearts Together Women, we believe that the Lord hears the cries of our hearts.
We also believe in prayer partnership because God’s Word teaches us that partnering with one another in prayer is powerful.
James 5:16 says, “Therefore…pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
And Jesus encourages us, “When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there” (Matthew 18:19-20, The Message).
What amazing promises!
Here is how prayer partnership works at a Hearts Together Gathering:
After we share in the Word and discussion, your facilitator will ask each woman for her prayer requests. All you need to do is share your own requests - the cries of your heart - because we all have them.
We encourage you to request prayer for 1) your own needs; 2) the needs of your family and loved ones; and 3) the needs you see around you - in the workplace, the school, the neighborhood or even the nation.
After the requests are shared, your gathering facilitator will lead in a prayer for the needs that were put forth.
In the following days, we encourage you to pray for the requests of the other women in your gathering. They will do the same for you. That’s what prayer partnership is all about!
As we unite in prayer, we trust the Lord will meet with us, dwell among us and answer us in accordance with His perfect will.
Your Heart to His
Maybe you felt the Holy Spirit stirring something in your heart during this gathering. It doesn’t have to end here. Take it home. In the followings days, continue to pursue Him. Spend some time alone and quiet, away from the noise of life - just you and Jesus.
Tell Him the cries of your heart. He is listening; He cares, and He does answer. Praying is kind of like having a conversation with your best friend. He created you, so He already knows everything about you. He just wants to be with you.
After you pray, reread the Scriptures and thoughts under God’s Heart. Reflect upon the verses and how they speak to you and your life.
Here are some things you might contemplate and pray about:
Maybe you feel like you are living in a tent right now. Maybe the storms of life are difficult to navigate. Reflect upon the hope you have in Christ - your redemption, your heavenly citizenship and the city that has foundations which waits for you. Also, talk to Him about your worries. He hears the cries of your heart.
This is just between you and Jesus - your heart to His. Make space in your busy days to spend some time with Him.
