Out of sight...?

It's taken me until today to recover from our crushing Ashes defeat (that's cricket against Australia for the uninitiated). On Monday evening I went to bed knowing that we'd draw, and reasonably confident that England could still save the series...on Tuesday morning I got up to find we'd collapsed, were going two down in the series, and could kiss goodbye to the Ashes.

I don't know about you but I sometimes find it amazing to think that as I go to sleep, there is a huge cricket match going on on the other side of the world. And it's amazing to think that as I sleep there are billions of people all over the world going to work, brushing their teeth, laughing, crying...it's quite hard for us to really picture things that are going on in places we've never seen.

And I guess that's why it's sometimes hard to realise that right now, at this moment, there's loads going on in heaven. We can't see it, we haven't been there (yet!), but John tells us in Revelation; 'I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!"' (Revelation 5:11-12)

It's awesome to think that, just as the cricketers really are playing in the Ashes series Down Under even though we can't see them, so in heaven right now the angels and Christians who've died are surrounding God on his throne, worshipping him and celebrating what he's done for us. And also to think that whenever we pray, our prayers go to that place, to be listened to by our heavenly Father. A great encouragement to keep praying, and to remember that heaven is going on right now (and it's great to know that God's rule in heaven will never go wrong, unlike England's batting efforts!)