Have you ever felt like something was missing in your life? A deep, inexplicable longing that you can’t quite put your finger on? This universal human experience traces back to our very beginnings, to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Since humanity’s expulsion from paradise, we’ve been on a quest to return. We instinctively know that something vitally important is absent from our lives, leaving us with a persistent ache. This longing is beautifully captured in St. Augustine’s words: “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.”
The story of our separation from God begins in Genesis. After Adam and Eve’s fall into sin, we read: “And so God drove man out, and at the east of the garden of Eden he stationed the cherubim, with the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life” (Genesis 3:24). This vivid image illustrates the seemingly insurmountable barrier between us and the paradise we once knew.
Throughout history, humanity has attempted countless ways to bridge this gap and satisfy our longing for the divine. Some turn to Eastern religions or mysticism, seeking to ascend to higher realms through meditation. Others, like the youth of the 1960s and 70s, experimented with drugs in a misguided attempt to touch the divine. More commonly, we try to build towers of good works, believing that if we just do enough, we can earn our way back to God.
But here’s the heart-wrenching truth: our efforts to reach God or regain paradise are futile. They often lead us further away from Him, deepening our sense of separation. The barrier between us and God isn’t a physical distance—it’s sin. And no amount of human striving can overcome that divide.
This brings us to a pivotal story in Genesis 28 – Jacob’s dream of a stairway to heaven. Jacob, whose name means “deceiver,” had manipulated his way into receiving blessings that God had already planned to give him. His schemes left him fleeing for his life, far from the promised land he sought to inherit.
As Jacob slept with a rock for a pillow, God gave him a remarkable vision:
“He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: ‘I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.'” (Genesis 28:12-13)
This dream reveals a profound truth: while we cannot work our way up to God, He comes down to us. The stairway in Jacob’s vision isn’t for humans to climb; it’s for God to descend and for His angels to minister. God takes the initiative in bridging the gap that sin has created.
But Jacob’s dream was just a foreshadowing of something far greater. Fast-forward to the New Testament, where Jesus makes a startling claim to His disciple Nathanael: “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man'” (John 1:51).
With these words, Jesus declares Himself to be the true stairway to heaven – the ultimate fulfillment of Jacob’s dream. He is the one who unites heaven and earth, who brings the riches of heaven to us, and who brings us to heaven.
This is the heart of the Christian message – it’s not about our climb to God, but about God’s descent to us. When humanity couldn’t reach paradise, paradise came to us in the person of Jesus Christ. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). Jesus willingly made His home in our sin-stricken world so that we could one day be at home with Him in paradise.
To open the doors of paradise for us, Christ allowed the doors of heaven to be slammed on Himself. On the cross, He bore the full weight of our sin and separation. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) He cried, experiencing the ultimate exile so that we would never have to.
Through His suffering, death, and resurrection, Jesus didn’t just make a way for us to return to God – He became the way. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). In Christ, the doors of heaven are flung wide open, never to be closed again for those who trust in Him.
This is why Christianity stands out among world religions. It’s not about human ascent but divine descent. It’s not about our striving but God’s grace. It offers rest for our restless hearts and a homecoming for our wandering souls.
The longing we feel – that sense that something is missing – finds its answer in Jesus. He offers us what we’ve been searching for all along: reconciliation with God, restoration of what was lost in Eden, and the promise of an eternal home far greater than we can imagine.
As we navigate life’s journey, may we remember that our hearts’ restlessness is not a flaw but a signpost. It points us to the God who created us for Himself and who has made a way for us to return home. In Christ, we find rest for our souls now, through the comfort of the gospel, and the promise of perfect rest in the future when He returns to make all things new.
Our longing for paradise is not in vain. Through Jesus, the true stairway to heaven, we can look forward to a day when everything will be restored, when we will dwell in perfect fellowship with God, and when it will truly be “very good” for all eternity.
Until that day, may we find our rest in Christ, allowing His love to satisfy our deepest longings and trusting in His promise of a homecoming beyond our wildest dreams.
Rev. HOG 
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