The Unknown Land

"This is not your Rest," sang the Mother in a loud clear voice, outside; and "This is not your Rest," echoed the others in sweet unison; and "This is not your Rest," sounded in the depths of the poor little Sedge Warbler's own heart.

Joshua and I were delighted in this classic story found in Mrs. Alfred Gatty's 'Parables of Nature'. A story with a hidden truth that there is another place we go to when we leave this earth.

"This is not our Rest!" repeated the Mother. "The river is rushing forward; the clouds are hurrying onward; the winds are sweeping past, because here is not their rest. Ask the river, ask the clouds, ask the winds, where thay go to:-Another Land! Ask the great sun, as he descends away out of sight, where he goes to:-Another Land! And when te appointed time shall come, let us also arise and go hence."

As Joshua and I were engrossed in our reading we were seeing the hidden meaning behind the words "This is not our Rest". The words carry right to the depths of my soul, I sensed the cry of my spirit and a longing for this Unknown Land.

Jesus spoke of this place - "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God[a]; trust also in me. 2In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." Gospel of John 14:1-3

How my heart aches for this place, the place of rest, the place where there is no more weeping, the place where there is no more wickedness, no more aching, no more abuse, no more unrest.

Every single soul desires this place whether they know it or not know it. The Lord placed eternity in the heart of mankind and the longing for this place will never cease. The good news is through Jesus we can have rest in our hearts in the midst of a world in turmoil and disgrace and walk through each day with a heart at rest and at peace at the knowledge of knowing that Jesus Christ, the saviour of the world has prepared a place for us and very soon He will return to take us there.

"Dim and undefined hope, perhaps, they had that they might find their parents again in the Unknown Land. And if one pang of grief struck them when these hopes ended, it was but for a moment, for, said the Brother-Bird-

"There may be some other Unknown Land, better even than this, to which they may be gone."