Heaven

Everybody Will Be Happy Over There

/ Gail Johnson / 8 Comments

If you love hymns, you have probably heard “Everybody Will Be Happy Over There.” Written in 1921 by E. M. Barlett, the song has been played by gospel, country, and bluegrass musicians. Let’s take a look.

The song

There’s a happy land of promise over in the great beyond,
Where the saved of earth shall soon the glory share;
Where the souls of men shall enter and live on forevermore,
Ev’rybody will be happy over there.

The important thing about a journey is to know our destination. Keeping it in mind helps us with the in-between. What is the in-between? It’s the place where “stuff” happens. Where things change. Where we discover what we’re made of.

It is also the place we decide to keep moving forward or turn back. Journeys are not always easy. Every road trip, including our spiritual journeys, has a testing time that affects how we remember it.

Delays: sickness, life, financial hardship,
Dreams: shattered, forgotten, postponed
Prayers: waiting for years
Traffic Jams: things that keep us immobile

Although some travelers dislike detours, they are often necessary due to construction, mechanical trouble, missed turns, rest, hunger, or a teaching moment. Whether the trip is a dream or a nightmare, look for the nugget of truth.

Verse

Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, will be singing ’round the throne,
In that land where no one ever knows a care;
And the Christians of all ages will join in the triumph song,
Ev’rybody will be happy over there.

God deals with individuals and with families. If you are praying for loved ones. Know that He is working! One day, we will rejoice together.

Verse

We will hear nobody praying and no mourning in that land,
For no burdens there will be for ys to bear;
All the people will be singing, “Glory, glory to the Lamb,
Ev’rybody will be happy over there.

When we reach our destinations in this world, we unpack our luggage and set it aside. First Timothy 6:7 says, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” That includes our burdens. We may weep the entire journey, but joy comes in the morning when we step across Jordan!

Can you imagine? No, praying. No mourning. No burdens. God will wipe away our tears, and we will spend eternity praising His name.

Verse

There we’ll meet the One who saved us and who kept us by His grace,
And who bro’t us to that land so bright and fair;
We will praise His name forever as we look upon His face,
Ev’rybody will be happy over there.

We will finally see our precious Travel Guide. The One who holds the map and directs the traffic. The One who sees the traffic jams and the road construction. The One who creates the rest stops and supplies the needed nourishment. The One who holds us. The One who keeps us. The One who redeemed us with His blood.

Jesus is the reason our heavenly destination is so important. He is also the reason why our earthly journey is important. If we don’t follow His map and get the in-between right, we will not reach the destination He’s planned for us. Let us hold His Map in front of us and keep our eyes on Heaven.

Chorus

Ev’rybody will be happy, will be happy over there,
We will shout and sing His praise;
Ev’rybody will be happy over there.

Happy travels, my friend!

Everybody Will Be Happy Over There | E. M. Barlett | Public Domain

Travel Plans

/ Gail Johnson / 20 Comments

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2 KJV).

I shared the familiar hymn “I Feel Like Traveling On” in my last post. Today, I want to talk about our spiritual journey and how easily we can get off track.

The Power of One Degree

Several years ago, my brother shared the story The Power of One Degree Course Correction. The spiritual aspect of that story stuck with me. I want to share part of it here today. (You can find the article at tandemfinancial.co.uk.)

In 1979, a passenger jet with 257 people aboard left New Zealand for an aerial view of Antarctica. However, the pilots were unaware of a minor 2˚ error in the flight coordinates, which placed the plane 28 miles east of their intended route. As they approached their destination, the pilots descended to a lower altitude, giving the people a better view of the landscape. Both pilots were experienced, but neither one had made this flight before. They had no way of knowing the 2˚ error had placed them in the path of Mount Erebus, an active volcano. Unfortunately, everyone died in the plane crash.

In air navigation, there is a 1 in 60 rule. That means for every 1˚ a plane veers off course, it misses the destination by 1 mile for every 60 miles traveled. The farther you travel, the farther you are from your intended target.

One foot traveled with a 1˚ error will put you 0.2 inches from your destination. That may not seem like much. But you must remember the farther you travel, the farther you move away from your target. A trip around the equator with a 1˚ error will get you 500 miles off course. Whether it is 0.2 inches or 500 miles, 1˚ makes a difference when aiming for a target.

Why do I share this story? Because when traveling, we have a destination in mind and a roadmap to get us there. As children of God, heaven is our destination, and the Bible is our roadmap. It was—is given to help us remain on the right track. A slight miss or a significant miss is still a miss! And that takes me to my next point.

The Power of the Word

Have you seen the social media reels of people demonstrating how to use BPA-free snackle boxes when planning an outing? The plan is to pack a little bit of everything like cheese, olives, carrot sticks, fruits, nuts, and a treat. I thought about this new fad while pondering this post. We should pack good things to snack on too. But here’s the thing. The Bible isn’t a charcuterie board. We can’t arrange, rearrange, or choose just the “feel good stuff” if we want to grow into a healthy mature Christian. As with our physical diets, our spiritual diets much be balanced. Not every Scripture is easily swallowed. But all is given by the inspiration of God.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJV). 

And that brings me to another point.

Read and search the Scriptures for yourself. Pray about everything.

As travelers, we must stay on guard and regularly check our coordinates to ensure we are not being led astray by others. Too, we must never “think” of ourselves as experts. We have never traveled this way before. Our coordinates must come from the Bible because we do not know what tomorrow will bring. We’re human, and we make mistakes. Thank goodness, the Lord knows how and where to lead us. Let us hold the “roadmap” before our face, adjust our coordinates when needed, pray constantly, look to the author and finisher of our faith, and keep traveling on.

Blessings on your travels!

Pictures courtesy of Dorothe and No-longer-here from pixabay.com