“The Meditation of Heaven”
Isaac Watts
My thoughts surmount these lower skies,
And look within the veil,
There springs of endless pleasure rise,
The waters never fail.
There I behold, with sweet delight,
The blessed Three-in-One;
And strong affections fix my sight
On God’s incarnate Son.
His promise stands for ever firm;
His grace shall ne’er depart;
He binds my name upon his arm,
And seals it on his heart.
Light are the pains that nature brings;
How short our sorrows are,
When with eternal future things,
The present we compare!
I would not be a stranger still
To that celestial place,
Where I forever hope to dwell,
Near my Redeemer’s face.
Last week, we dug deeper into these wonderful lyrics from Isaac Watts on heaven. Unfortunately (or is it rather fortunate?), I found there to be too much to unpack for just one article, so I decided to leave these last two stanzas for today. Read them again before we delve into this hymn one more time.
Watts calls back to Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, in which Paul states, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not on the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17-18). This one passage (and the previously mentioned stanza) decidedly comforts and challenges all of us as believers. Whatever our loads, burdens, trials, or pains, Paul tells us that they are all “light” in comparison with the eternal weight of glory. What is this glory? The context of this passage sheds even more light on the answer to that question. Go ahead and read the entirety of 2 Corinthians 4.
Paul is writing to a church who has been troubled, perplexed, persecuted, and cast down (2 Cor. 4:8-9). He can completely relate with them because of the persecution and trials he himself faced (2 Cor. 11:22-33). It’s why he uses the word “we.” In recognizing these painful realities, he turns them on their head and shows the church the glory that God receives from them. For, Paul argues, the grace of God, which is for the sake of his people, abounds even more in their suffering for the sake of his glory (2 Cor. 4:15). What is Paul saying then? In the suffering and joy of his people, his people become more like Jesus Christ. Therefore, in the suffering and joy of his people, God is glorified.
I love how Paul simply states his reason for sharing the gospel. He says, “We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak” (2 Cor. 4:13). He’s saying that his proclaiming the gospel is a natural result of his belief in the same. While that attitude alone should be challenging to us, I want to focus on how we can compare that natural element to the glory of God. After reading this chapter, you may be tempted to ask, “Why is God all about glory? Doesn’t he already have enough? He made everything, after all. All that there is is his anyway, so why does he need glory to boot?” Any longer down that thought process and you’ll be calling God a power-hungry tyrant who cares nothing for his creation or their well-being, only his glory. Please understand that just as naturally as Paul spoke because of his belief, so also is God naturally glorified because of, well, him—who he is, what he’s done, what he’s doing, what he will do. One way I have heard it states this concept concisely: There is God and, therefore, glory.
So then, what is this glory, and what makes it weightier than our light afflictions? This glory is the glory of God, which is the only true glory there is. Anyone who claims glory for himself or who attributes glory to anyone else but God is a thief and a liar. In fact, the very questioning of the legitimacy of God’s glory exposes our true nature without him: power-hungry sinners with a desire to steal glory that is God’s. We are the unnatural ones, wanting to claim this glory for our own when, all the while, God is offering for us to partake with him in it. Eternal life with God is the weight of this glory, and we get to partake in it as believers! Of course, then, we can and should join Paul and Watts in their more than justified optimism. You can see now how this stanza is both comforting and challenging to us:
Light are the pains that nature brings;
How short our sorrows are,
When with eternal future things,
The present we compare!
Jesus puts the challenge best: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt. 6:19-21). Rather than treasuring the temporary comforts here on earth, treasure the eternal weight of glory which is with God in heaven, and let your light burden be cast upon the one who cares for you (1 Pet. 5:7).
Watts closes his meditation on heaven with one final thought, a yearning to be in heaven with Christ. Especially after reflecting on the previous stanzas, I think I could speak for us all when I say that we all long to be with our Savior. While Watts says, “I would not be a stranger still,” I find myself wanting to remind him and all of us that we are all heirs of this heavenly kingdom. Our inheritance, given freely to us through Christ’s sacrifice, is the sure hope of being with him in heaven. That thought, fellow believers, is truly heaven on earth, and soon enough, the thought will be reality when we are in heaven with our Lord for all eternity.
About the Author: Carl Siefert
Carl is the editor of The Poking Stick and a contributor. He is a lover of music and languages. Carl is a connoisseur of donut shops and sausage rolls, and maybe someday he will get that Charlie Parker record. He is currently earning an MA in Vocal Performance.