Does Heaven Have A View Of Earth?

Does Heaven Have A View Of Earth?

God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. –Ecclesiastes 3:11

Trent brings home a good report card; Kristen dances beautifully in her recital; Rachel pitches a perfect softball game—and they all wonder, Can Dad see me? My friend Angela, who lost her husband, Wes, six years ago whispers, “Dad knows,” as a way to reassure them. But we wonder, don’t we? Can those who have gone before us see what we are doing now?

Scripture does not tell us plainly, but many point to Hebrews 12:1, which says we are “surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses.” Does that mean that believers who have died are watching us now? Not necessarily. The writer of Hebrews has just gone through a list of heroes of the faith. When he calls them “witnesses,” he does not mean that they are watching us. He is encouraging us to look at their lives and listen to their testimonies of the life of faith. It is as if they are on the witness stand testifying about their experiences of living and dying in faith. Their lives say to us, Faith works. God keeps his promises. Heaven is worth the wait. They are examples, not onlookers. They “witness” to us the value of placing all our hopes in God’s promises.

Caleb Lee, a friend of Matt’s who lost his mom a few years ago, told his dad, Bill, “Everyone says that Mom is watching us, but I don’t think Mom can be happy in heaven if she sees how sad we are.” Bill reminded Caleb of their Christmas morning tradition of putting presents in unwrapped piles for each family member. They all run into the room to dig into their stash. “Imagine you looked around and there was no pile for you,” Bill told Caleb. “You would feel confused and disappointed and sad. But then imagine that Mom is standing back in the hallway looking at you from a distance. Behind her is the coolest go-cart that is everything you ever wanted, and she is laughing while you cry. She knows that what you are about to discover will wipe away the temporary sadness you feel.”

Can our loved ones see us from the heights of heaven? I don’t know. But if they can, they see us through an understanding of the bigger picture, the grander joy that they know awaits us. And they smile.

Watching Father, whether or not our loved ones see us now, they see you and your gift of heaven clearly. And one day we will too.

DIGGING DEEPER