How Far is Heaven?

The popular Latin band Los Lonely Boys blends a country and pop rock feel together to produce a sound reminiscent of The Eagles. Their hit song "Heaven" has an upbeat edge to it, though certainly bearing a religious tone (perhaps even Christian) to it all. It begins saying,

Save me from this prison, Lord, help me get away. Cause only you can save me now from this misery. I've been lost in my own place and I'm gettin' weary - how far is Heaven? - And I know I need to change my way's of livin' - how far is Heaven? - Lord, can you tell me? I've been locked up way too long in this crazy world - how far is Heaven?

The song makes Heaven seem a distant place. In one sense I suppose it is, after all, it's not exactly withing walking distance. Yet it is, at the same time, nearer than you or I could ever suppose. The primary reason for Heaven seeming so distant is that we relegate it to some distant and abstract place. That's not the case. Swinnock said, "Heaven must be in thee before thou canst be in Heaven." Or Drelincourt who said, "The sea enters into the rivers before the rivers can run into the sea. In like manner, God, comes to us before we go to Him; and heaven enters into our souls before we can enter into heaven."The Bible encourages us to encourage others with talk of Heaven. D. L. Moody wrote, "We talk about Heaven being so far away. It is within speaking distance to those who belong there." So, my challenge is to bring Heaven a little closer to Home. Make it real, make it tangible. It's not impossible, but neither is it easy. It requires surrendering ourselves over to God - fully.