Psalm 16:11 says that in the presence of the Lord is the “fullness of joy.” This is the emphasis behind Matthew McCullough’s Remember Heaven: Meditations on the World to Come for Life in the Meantime. He identifies that what makes heaven what it is (and the age to come something to desire) is the presence of God. He says, “The presence of God makes heaven a world of more—more happiness, more holiness, more joy, and more love. It also makes heaven a world of no more—no more sin, no more sorrow, no more pain, no more death, and no more tears… Heaven is where God’s presence makes all things new.” (16)

Remember Heaven is not a study of heaven. Rather, this helpful little book looks at the struggle we have to keep our mind focused on our future hope in the middle of present difficulties. There is a litany of different hardships we face as we journey along toward heaven. We deal with the corruption of the flesh: we are enticed by sins from the world around us and we are enticed by the sinful desires that remain within us. We deal with the realities of a broken world: disease, heartache, and death. McCullough has provided a resource that helps us think about these things through the lens of our hope in Christ.

McCullough makes especially strong and encouraging arguments around two areas of life lived in the “meantime”. The first is contentment. We were made to know God and enjoy him forever. Therefore, we ought to know that this life will be full of disappointment. But our flesh craves things in this world as if they provide ultimate joy. We look to possessions, relationships, jobs, etc. with the belief, ‘if I just have this thing, I will truly be happy’. However, as McCullough points out, this is an abuse of the good gifts God gives to us. He writes that we try to “capture them and hold on to them forever when they are really meant to direct our gaze back to God with longing for the day when he is with us forever” (34). Our dissatisfaction with things as they are is a gift of God’s grace. As our eyes are turned back to God with longing, we’re reminded of where true happiness will ultimately be found. In his presence is the fullness of joy.

McCullough’s focus on anxiety is another area where the book really stands out. We live in a world where our peace of mind is under constant threat. Life is filled with a host of things that remind us that we are frail and, above all else, not in control. Our typical response when life spins out of control is to try and snatch control back — like trying to lasso a wild horse and ride it until it is tamed. McCullough reminds us that this is inconsistent with the Christian faith. He reminds us that “on earth, everyone loses everything eventually. But not in heaven. There, no joy ever fades” (80). He points to God’s promise from 1 Peter 1:3-5 where we read that God has stored up for us “an inheritance that is imperishable” and that we are being guarded “by God’s power… for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” Our hope, stored up in heaven, secures our peace when life spins out of control. Nothing can keep the Christian, who has been secured to God through faith in Christ, from the salvation that awaits us.

However, there is one way in which the book comes up short. The final chapter focuses on the death of loved ones. The chapter mainly focuses on believers being reunited in heaven and does not mention that the true joy of heaven is to be with God until the last few pages. This was a miss because the treasure of Heaven is God Himself. Paul even emphasizes this in the text cited in the chapter, writing “and so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). This is a smaller book that isn’t focused exclusively on death. Therefore, it seemed more appropriate to emphasize how the believer can remain steadfast in the face of death because of the hope of life with God through Christ.

Even so, this weakness does not outweigh the books many strengths. I would happily recommend Remember Heaven to any believer. You will be encouraged as your mind is turned again and again to the hope you have in heaven — the fullness of joy in the presence of God who loves you and gave up his Son for you. There, we will behold Christ who joyfully submitted to the cross for our sake. There we will be free from sin and death. We will be free from longing for petty trinkets and broken treasures. We will be free from the chaos of our uncontrollable lives and enjoy the blessed peace secured for us by our God and King. This book will encourage you by turning your mind to these things and to the delight which is ours in God now and forever, leading you to say with John, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

Available for purchase through 10ofthose and Crossway.