…And Fly to Unknown Lands

My soul, come and meditate the day,
And think how near it stands,
When thou must quit this house of clay,
And fly to unknown lands.

This morning, as I am working, as often is the case, a hymn comes to my mind out of what seems to be nowhere. Or, perhaps it is from some “unknown” places, thoughts or meditations. However, such musings are often the joys of my days, in them I find myself often praising my Lord.

How often do you think of death? More importantly, the joy of our Lord that death brings us to? Is it something you meditate about, or do you try to avoid it, and perhaps in your mind delay it?

The scriptures teach that “it is appointed unto men once to die.” Unless we’re alive at the time of the second personal appearing of Jesus Christ our Lord, we will meet the appointment of death.

The hymn-writer invited his soul to spend its meditation immersed in the day that he would quit “this house of clay,” but not necessarily about the manner of death, or state of bodily death, but more than that…he meditated about flying “to unknown lands.” Have you ever let your mind meander along the path of the freedom of quitting this house of clay? Meaning dropping this tabernacle of flesh that influences so much sin in our lives, to pick it up at the last day glorified. Ridding ourselves of this “body of death,” that weighs us down from proper Master service. I love to think of what it will be to let our spirits soar in praise to heights previously unknown. I love to meditate upon a time when my soul will not be bound to this body that prevents perfect praise.

I like the phrase “and fly to unknown lands,” but it is not quite accurate. It’s a land unknown in the sense we’ve not been there, but it is a known land. It is known in the sense that our God is there, our Lord Jesus is there, we will be immersed totally in the Holy Ghost there. Our families are there, our friends, our companions in the brotherhood of Christ. It is home. It is our home. John told us in his gospel that we’ve been born from above, or receive a heavenly birth when “born again,” so we possess a heavenly life, a heavenly nature. In that sense, it is a known land.

Come, my soul, and meditate the day … what a sweet meditation it is!