Fence Post Devotionals

Homesick for Heaven

“Here’s plenty of room on My Father’s spread (John 14:2a) The Gospel of John Cowboy Style

A Longing for Home

When Jesus talked about His Father’s House, He was talkin’ about home — His eternal home. I get the notion that after walkin’ this dusty earth for thirty-three and a half years, He was mighty homesick for heaven.

That night in the upper room, just before His betrayal, Jesus spoke to His disciples about goin’ back to His Father’s place. You can almost hear the longing in His voice — a mix of love for those He’d soon leave behind and the eager anticipation of goin’ home.

That Old Feeling of Homesickness

Have you ever been homesick? I reckon most of us have.

I remember my first real taste of it back in my freshman year of college. My folks dropped me off at a small state school where I didn’t know a soul. As I stood by the dorm window watchin’ Mom and Dad drive away, my stomach started twistin’ up in knots. It hit me right then — I was homesick.

When Thanksgiving finally rolled around, I packed my bag, put on my R.O.T.C. uniform, and stepped up to board a Greyhound bus. The driver looked at me and said, “Where you headed, son?”

Without hesitatin’, I said, “I’m goin’ home.”

And I can’t help but wonder if that’s the same feeling Jesus had when He talked about His Father’s House — that deep-down assurance that soon He’d be headin’ home.

Heaven — Our Real Home

Every born-again believer knows a little something about that feeling. Deep inside, we get homesick for heaven from time to time. The writer of Ecclesiastes spoke about our “eternal home” (Ecclesiastes 12:5).

And the old hymn puts it plain as day:

“This world is not my home, I’m just a-passin’ through;
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.”

When God saved us, He didn’t just forgive our sins — He gave us a brand-new zip code, a heavenly one. We’re citizens of another country now. Earth might be where we pitch our tent, but heaven is where we’ve got our deed.

So if you ever find yourself homesick for your earthly home — maybe think about that heavenly one, too. Because one day, friend, the bus is comin’, and Jesus Himself will be drivin’ it, sayin’, “Climb aboard — we’re goin’ home.”

A Heavenly Beatitude

I like to think of this as a beatitude for believers on the trail:

“Blessed are those who are homesick for heaven,
for they shall be comin’ home.”

And before we get there, we ought to get better acquainted with our eternal home. As J.C. Ryle once said, “Before we go to our eternal home, we should try to become acquainted with it.”

Trail’s End Thoughts

Jesus spoke of His Father’s House with a heart full of homesickness — not the sad kind, but the hopeful kind. Heaven isn’t just a place far off in the clouds; it’s the home we were made for, prepared by the Savior who loves us. Every longing, every ache, every homesick moment we feel in this life is just a reminder that we’re not home yet — but we soon will be.

Something to Ponder

When life down here starts feelin’ long and lonely, do you ever stop to remember that heaven is your true home — and that Jesus is already there, waitin’ for you?

Talkin’ to the Boss

Heavenly Father,
Thank You for preparing a home for us in Your presence — a place where heartache, weariness, and tears will be no more. When our hearts grow homesick and the road gets rough, remind us that our true home is with You.

Help us to walk faithfully until that day You call us home, where we’ll rest forever in Your love and light.

In Jesus’ name, Amen