What Makes Heaven

“One thing I have asked of the Lord, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple” (Psalm 27:4). We see here that David wanted to enjoy the presence of God more than anything else in life. A heart that has been influenced by grace will view God’s majesty and glory as beautiful. We may not fully appreciate this now, but we will in heaven. I love what Richard Sibbes had to say on this verse: “No good thing can be lacking where God is present. It is the presence of God that makes all things sweet and comforting. What makes heaven to be heaven, but because God is there? If the soul of a Christian were among angels, angelic comforts would not be desired, if God were not there. If there were all the delights of the world, it would not care for them, except God were present. Heaven were not heaven without the presence of God. His presence in a dungeon, in a lion’s den, makes it a paradise, a place of pleasure; the presence of God makes all conditions comforting. If there be not the presence of God, the greatest comfort in the world is nothing.”