I Feel Like Traveling On

Beloved, have you ever felt that holy longing deep in your soul? That quiet but persistent sense that this world is not your final home? Like the old gospel songs express it, “I feel like traveling on.” The Apostle Paul gives us the same blessed assurance in one of the most comforting passages in all of Scripture. As Bible-believing, conservative Christians who hold fast to the inerrant Word of God and the literal promises of our Lord, we find here a glorious preview of what awaits every child of God.

Here is the text from the King James Bible:

> For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

Our Earthly Tabernacle – Temporary by Divine Design  

Paul compares our present physical bodies to a tabernacle—a tent. Tents are for pilgrims and sojourners, not for permanent dwelling. They are vulnerable, temporary, and eventually taken down. Our bodies bear the marks of the Fall: pain, weakness, sickness, aging, and death. Yet this tent is not the end of the story for the believer. It is simply the temporary shelter God has given us for our journey through this present evil world.

The Building of God – Our Eternal, Glorified Home

In glorious contrast, we have “a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” This is the resurrection body—real, physical, incorruptible, and perfectly suited for eternity in the presence of our King. It will never wear out, never grow weary, and never be touched by sin or suffering again. The same God who spoke the universe into existence is personally preparing this permanent dwelling for His children. What a hope!

The Groaning and the Eager Expectation

“We that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened.” Paul does not pretend suffering does not exist. We feel the weight of mortality. Yet our groaning is not despair—it is holy desire. We are not longing merely to be “unclothed” (to exist as disembodied spirits), but to be “clothed upon” with our heavenly house so that “mortality might be swallowed up of life.” This is the full redemption of the body (Romans 8:23). We long for the day when the last enemy—death—will be destroyed forever.

The Earnest of the Spirit – God’s Divine Guarantee

The absolute certainty of this hope rests on the Holy Spirit, whom God has given as the “earnest”—the down payment and pledge—of our inheritance. The indwelling Spirit is living proof that God will finish what He started. He who began a good work in us will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. This divine guarantee allows us to face every trial with steady confidence.

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight 

Here lies the heartbeat of true biblical Christianity: “We walk by faith, not by sight.” We do not need to see the heavenly city with physical eyes to know it is real. We trust the clear promises of God’s inerrant Word. In an age when many deny the literal resurrection, a literal heaven, and the literal return of Christ, we stand unwavering on the faith once delivered to the saints. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).

Absent from the Body – Present with the Lord

What sweet comfort these words bring: “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” For the blood-washed believer, death holds no terror. To be absent from this body is to be immediately present with Christ. No soul sleep. No purgatory. No delay. The moment we close our eyes in death, we open them in the presence of the One who loved us and gave Himself for us. To live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Laboring to Be Accepted of Him 

While we remain in the tent, we do not sit idle. “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.” Our service is not to earn salvation—that is by grace through faith alone—but to live in a way that pleases the Lord who redeemed us. We contend for the faith, witness to the lost, build up the saints, and pursue holiness, knowing that our labor is never in vain in the Lord.

A Word to the Weary Pilgrim

Dear friend, if your tent feels heavy today—if your body is failing, your heart is burdened, or the darkness of this world presses in—lift up your head. Your redemption draws near. The same Lord who conquered death has prepared a place for you. One day the tent will be lovingly folded, and you will step into the glorious building of God.

If you have never trusted Christ as your personal Savior, the door stands open. Repent and believe the gospel today. Receive the Lord Jesus by faith, and you too will be able to say with joyful confidence, “I feel like traveling on!”

For those who already know Him, press on, beloved. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. The road may be rough and the nights long, but the destination is glorious beyond imagination. Heaven is real. The resurrection is real. And our Savior is coming soon.

Let us pray:  

*Heavenly Father, thank You for the blessed hope of the resurrection and the promise of eternal life with You. Strengthen us to walk by faith, to labor faithfully, and to long for that day when we shall see You face to face. Keep our hearts fixed on the heavenly home You have prepared. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.*

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