Great Expectations

       "I wish I had been there."  There are times when someone tells us an account of something happening and make that reply that we wish we had been there when that happened.  We sometimes think of a certain sporting event when our team won and we wish that we had been there or when a race driver won the big race and we also wish that we had been there or it may have been an event in which our grandchild was honored and we wish we had been there.  There are probably a lot of times that we wish we had been there to see the event taking place.  I like it a lot when the Bible gives an account of something happening that is extraordinary.  I would like to have seen the parting of the Red Sea or the taking up of Elijah into heaven or even the manna coming down each day to feed the Israelites or when Moses got water out of a rock.  The following even was one of the greatest for me as it tells of the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ into heaven.  Luke 24:50-53 says, "And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.  And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.  And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:  And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen."  
       The event is expanded upon in the first chapter of the Book of Acts and a few more details are explained.  I wish I had been there to see that event.  Christ gave His final instructions to the group of disciples and then rose up into heaven into the clouds.  I have wondered how certain things can take place on earth such as a bumble bee flying, the flight of a 747, or even the ship that I was on, made of steel yet able to float and carry over 300 crew members with all kinds of guns and still float.  I wonder about some of those things, but this one is one of the greatest.  Gravity was defied as the Creator of the universe just began to rise and to go up into the clouds and disappear from their sight.  That event gives us hope.  It gives us hope because we then realize that the statement was true when the Scripture recorded that with God, all things are possible.  That gives us hope because there are a couple of promises that are still going to be fulfilled, one of which is that Jesus is going to come again.  For almost 20 years I have closed these devotions with the phrase, "Jesus is coming again."  I can't explain how it is going to work but it will come to pass even as the Scripture has declared.  Since Jesus ascended into heaven and He is coming again, then the petty problems of today and the days to come are insignificant.  There is no need to worry about the boring things of this life, but the spectacular is about to happen.  So rejoice in the hope that we have and watch God fulfill great and mighty things right before your eyes.  Praise God today for His promises.