Denali (Mount McKinley) amazes us with its visible landscape: Snow. Ice. Moraine. Rock. Wildlife. But an array of invisible life and elements are just as real. On Denali, thousands of creatures emit clouds of microscopic pheromones to communicate with their own species. Molten lava seethes beneath the mountain’s earthen crust. Wind rips through icy chasms creating whole weather systems. Energy pulses in and on the mountain, hidden from the naked eye.
Our attempt to describe “eternity” is much like the impossible task of cataloging the entire realm of seen and unseen flora, fauna, and elements of North America’s highest mountain.
One universal truth is evident: God plants an extrasensory longing for the afterlife inside every man and woman.
Solomon describes this extrasensory insight as our longing for “eternity.”
“…He [God] has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” (Ecc. 3:11 NLT)
This inherent awareness pulses in us like a vital “organ,” yet unlike heart or lungs, it grows more robust as we grow older. Nothing on earth compares with the terminal knowing that our frail bones are destined to meet eternity.
This yearning for the afterlife cannot be satisfied by living then dying. God planted the hope of eternity as a lifeline to bind us to himself before we die.
Every tear, every question we wrestle with, every betrayal, worry, or broken relationship invites us to take hold of the lifeline and “COME…”
…“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30 NLT)
The longing is not satisfied by our moral performance or philanthropy. No checklists, charts or academic disciplines cure the ache for eternal life. Our longing for eternity is fulfilled with a Person. Our questions are answered in a Person. Our deepest need is satisfied by a Person.
Only one name fills our inherent eternal longing.
Jesus Christ.
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”(Acts 4:12)
