With Him Right Now

Listening to Christian music with my kids is one of my favorite things to do. We sing at the top of our lungs, and I attempt to teach my kids to praise God wherever and whenever we can. The other morning, as we listened to music on the way to preschool, my four year old asked, "Mommy, is this song about God?" I replied, "Yes, it is." She exclaimed, "I just wish I could see Him! I miss Him so much! I want to die and go to heaven to be with Him right now and forever." At first, I gasped at the thought of her dying; then, I humbly praised God for her sweet desire, one that I should have every moment of every day. Oh, the faith of a child!

Psalm 84 (ESV) expresses a similar heartfelt desire:

How lovely is your dwelling place,
    O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, faints
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
    to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home,
    and the swallow a nest for herself,
    where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
    my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
    ever singing your praise! Selah

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
    in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
As they go through the Valley of Baca
    they make it a place of springs;
    the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
    each one appears before God in Zion.

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
    give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
Behold our shield, O God;
    look on the face of your anointed!

For a day in your courts is better
    than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
    from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
    blessed is the one who trusts in you!