Isaiah 2:1-5
Your Story
Talk about what you think heaven will be like. Tell your family several things that you are looking forward to about heaven (such as seeing loved ones again, asking God questions, etc.).
My Story and the Bible Story
When I was a kid, I loved reading about heaven. My mom would read the part in Revelation 21 that talked about heaven. I loved hearing about the pure gold of the New Jerusalem and the gems (jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, carnelian, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprase, jacinth, and amethyst) in the walls. I enjoyed hearing about the pearly gates and how the Lord would be there in the middle of it all. I’m so glad the Bible paints a picture of heaven for us, but the most important thing in heaven is the Lord’s presence. God will be there and will wipe away our tears. God will be the light, and we will never walk in darkness again. We can have hope because we know that one day we will be with God.
The book of Isaiah talks a lot about hope. In Isaiah 9, Isaiah prophesies about Jesus, saying that “the people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (9:2). That light, of course, is Jesus. The prophet said a child would be born and bring light to the world, and with that child would come hope.
Read Isaiah 2:1-5.
The Lord gives us hope that eventually we will be in God’s house. God will judge between nations, and instead of fighting, nations will work together. “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks” (Isa 2:4). Weapons of war will be turned into farming equipment. God reminds us of our hope that one day there will be peace. As we begin this Advent season, we light the candle of Hope and remember the hope that Jesus brings. Isaiah reminds us that the fighting and chaos in our world won’t happen forever. Someday we will be with God and experience true peace. Jesus came so we could have hope. When you look around you and worry about what’s happening, remember the hope that Jesus brought, and remember that God is always there.
Discussion and Prayer
- Ask your children what they think heaven will be like. Ask them what they are most looking forward to about heaven.
- As a family, talk about what you can do when you feel afraid or worried. Talk about what hope means and how you can remember the hope that Jesus brings.
- Discuss ways you can share God’s hope with others this week.
- Pray, thanking God for the hope Jesus brings to us and asking for help in feeling hopeful amid chaos.
Rev. Jessica Asbell is the Minister to Children and Families at First Baptist Roswell, where she has been serving since 2012. She has written the children’s curriculum for Smyth & Helwys’s Annual Bible Study for the books of Daniel; Ezekiel; Luke; Jonah; 1 Corinthians; 1, 2, 3 John and Jude; Colossians; The Story of Israel’s Ancestors: Living toward a Promise; and Where Faith & Family Meet: A Book of Weekly Devotions. She has also written for CBF’s Spark and Form and for Affect in CBF’s fellowship! magazine. Married to Jonathan Oravec, Jessica reads every chance she gets.
