I Can Only Imagine - Saturday, 04/18/2026

Song: "I Can Only Imagine" (MercyMe) [Click here to listen to the song.]

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:9-12

"Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel? Will I dance for You, Jesus, or in awe of You be still?"

— Devotion —

Every great journey needs a destination worth heading toward. The Christian life is not simply about surviving the present — it is shaped and sustained by a breathtaking future hope. "I Can Only Imagine" does something rare and powerful: it invites us to actually picture it. Linda Kobert requested this song in memory of Diane Lynn — and in that dedication lives the whole power of the song. It is not escapism. It is hope with a name on it.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2 that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love the Holy One. The glory awaiting us exceeds the reach of our imagination — and yet the Spirit gives us glimpses, foretastes, quiet assurances that the story ends in joy beyond all telling. The song's title acknowledges this honestly: we can only imagine, because the reality will surpass even our best imaginings.

Heaven is not a topic for the end of life — it is fuel for daily living. When Paul wrote about the resurrection and the hope of glory, he consistently connected it to present action: "Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58). Hope in what is coming does not make us passive — it makes us fearless.

We close this week's devotions on the eve of a new week, looking forward. The same resurrection that launched Easter Sunday points beyond itself to a completion still to come. The Risen Christ is not just proof of what happened in the past — the Living One is the guarantee of what is coming in the future. Every sorrow will one day make sense. Every tear will be wiped away. Every name spoken in love will be spoken again.

Go into this week — and into every week — as a person with a destination. You can only imagine what awaits. But you can live now with the joy of someone who knows how the story ends.

Reflection Question: How does your hope in eternity actually shape the choices and attitudes of your everyday life right now?

Action Step: Write the name of someone you love who has gone before you in faith. Spend a moment in quiet gratitude for their life, and let the hope of reunion with them and with Christ fuel your faith as you enter the coming week.

Prayer: Lord of eternity, thank You that this life is not all there is. Thank You for the resurrection hope that anchors us when the present is hard. Fill us with joy today — not because everything is easy, but because we know where we are going. Until then, let us live as those who believe it. Amen.