A swing of the bat. The close play at first. That cheering crowd.
The two young fans desperately wanted to be in the stands to witness it all. They would have given anything to have a seat somewhere, anywhere … but the game was sold out.
Determined to see the action, the boys decided to catch what they could through the cracks in the outfield fence. They raced from one crack in the fence to the next, from one knothole to another, eagerly searching for the best view possible.
As the night progressed, they witnessed hits, strikeouts, and that slide into home that tied the game.
But everything they saw that night was from a distance.
As Christians, we find ourselves in a similar spot. What we long to see up close we can only see from afar.
Moving from one Old Testament book to another, we can see our Savior. Sometimes it’s a glimpse; other times more clearly.
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor (Isaiah 61:1-2a).
Yet still, it’s from a distance.
We run to the New Testament, and to our heart’s delight, the ‘crack in the fence’ is wider. We can see Jesus even more clearly.
Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath. And when He stood up to read, the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it was written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then He rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him, and He began by saying, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing (Luke 4:16-21).”
What an unspeakable kindness for the Father to grant us such a close-up view of His Son. Yet as wonderful as those New Testament views are, even they don’t totally satisfy the Christian’s soul. The believer longs to be with Christ. To see Him face to face.
The apostle Paul expressed it this way:
I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better (Philippians 1:23).
Take heart, saints. These ‘distance days’ will be over soon. A far better day is approaching. Amazingly, a time will come when you and I will find ourselves in the very presence of our beloved Savior. Hallelujah!
Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”
And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” (Revelation 5:11-13)
