Most of us have expectations.  We are delighted when they are met, disappointed when they are not, and surprised and overjoyed when they are exceeded.

I can relate.  I am 1/3 of a singing trio consisting of my wife, a dear friend and me.  The sum of our ages is 206, and that is not in dog years.

We were invited to sing at a well-attended church service.  The time came for us to do our thing.  I braced myself as I pried my stiff body out of the seat.  As we began to move forward the percussion section did an intro.  Oh wait, that was the sound of popping joints.  The congregation began to wonder. 

We then ascended the five stairs to get up to the platform.  Slow and deliberate were our steps.  I needed to take a breath when I reached the summit.  The congregation experienced some dismay.

We positioned ourselves at the mics.  Facing the congregation were two grey haired women, and one guy crowned with a snow-white mop.  It was like a reunion tour except this time it was the grandmamas and the grandpapas.  Our listeners finally saw what they were getting, and they whimpered.

If I had been sitting out there with them, I would have been thinking, “Oh no, this is going to be a very painful performance.”

But then – I began to pick my guitar and it half sounded like I knew what I was doing.  And then our voices came in – pleasant, strong, skillfully blended and in sync.

And the congregation let out a huge sigh of relief.   In fact, they even enjoyed it.  After the service we received countless encouragements and another potential gig – a seniors group of course.

So yes, I exaggerated my story a little to make you laugh, but you get the picture.  It’s always amazing to have one’s expectations exceeded.    May that always be the case with yours.

But if they aren’t, let me tell you about one that most definitely will.  Heaven!

We have a partial description of heaven given in Revelation 21-22.  It is a place gilded in gold and adorned with walls of precious stones and gates of pearl.  The sun and moon are displaced by the luminous glory of the Lamb of God.

The Biblical description is amply supplemented by Bluegrass music where 9 out of 10 songs seem to be focused on, “glory land.”   The description we have of heaven available to us is already beyond our ability to comprehend and yet it hardly scratches the surface.

I love the honesty of the song, “I Can Only Imagine.”   There the writer admits he doesn’t fully understand what heaven is like, but he enjoys imagining what it might be. 

The apostle Paul was given a unique preview according to 2 Corinthians 12:1-10.  He was caught up to heaven either through a vision, or an in-person visit.   Even after that, he could not adequately describe heaven for us. 

He said, “(I) was caught up into paradise and heard things too sacred to be put into words, things that a person is not permitted to speak (4).  He spoke of his heavenly experience as being “extraordinary” (6) and “surpassing in greatness” (7).

We expect the ordinary, but Paul says what is ahead is extraordinary.  We expect things will be great in heaven, but we are told that they will surpass greatness.

At another place, Paul again described our experience in heaven.  He said, “Things that no eye has seen, or ear heard, or mind imagined, are the things God has prepared for those who love him” – 1 Corinthians 2:9.

Beyond the pale is an unimaginable and yet, magnificent experience.   We know just enough today to wonder.

But this is for sure, when it comes to heaven you can expect your expectations to be exceeded.

A PRAYER: Lord, I’m glad I don’t know fully what to expect, but I’m glad the surprise will last an eternity.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you always.

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ®