To Neverland We Go

Exodus 33:18 Moses responded, “Then show me your glorious presence.”

19 The Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose. 20 But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.” 21 The Lord continued, “Look, stand near me on this rock. 22 As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen.”

I went to see three of my grandchildren act in the play Peter Pan, and they were awesome. Esther played Wendy, Vera played Brave Girl #1, and Abram played a lost boy. The fictitious story of Peter Pan tells of a boy who didn't want to grow up and become an adult, and He flies into the room of three children in the real world and takes them to Neverland. In Neverland, no one ages or follows any rules basically, and it is fun all the time. Sounds like paradise to a child, and even to an adult like me. In Neverland, the children all bond together through their commonalities, such as being lost children, and Peter Pan is their leader.

In the above verses, we see Moses wanting to see God so he can tell the children of Israel that God says this or that, so it will be even more convincing for them to follow the God of Moses. Moses proceeds to request from God to see His glorious presence, and God says that He will pass before Moses, but Moses cannot look directly into the face of God. Then God says he will call out his name, and that name is Yahweh. Our merciful God says He will show mercy to anyone He chooses and compassion as well. God, in His infinite mercy, has chosen all who will come to Him by faith, and He offers a Heavenly Neverland, where we will never grow old. The commonality of all who will be in this Heavenly Neverland is that all who are born again will live there forever and never grow old.

Moses shows us obedience and a desire to see God, and God even calls His own name out, which is Yahweh. God's expression of His love is Him reaching out to a sinful, disobedient people with His infinite grace. His Spirit calls us to a heavenly place that Jesus called "paradise," and that destination is our Neverland. One day we will fly away, not because of being covered in fairy dust, but because of the powerful call of our Savior Jesus as He allows us to defy gravity and go to Him. There will be no more hurt, pain, or sadness in the land we know as Heaven. The difference here is that it is more than just a story. It is a reality, and in that reality, we will live for eternity. Praise God.

Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.[a] 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” 5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

Oh, what a glorious place it will be when we hear the glorious voice of God welcoming us into our eternal home. This is victory, and this is our Neverland. So live each day in the promises of God and realize that our Neverland is waiting for us, its inhabitants, and it is perfectly prepared for us by our glorious lord. John 14:1“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”

TO NEVERLAND WE GO!!!! No more hiding in the cleft of the rock, but on that day seeing God face to face. 1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known.

Today's Message,

David Warren