THREE ANGELS BROADCASTING NETWORK DEVOTIONAL
Preparing for a Trip

By Nikki Anderson November 21st, 2025

“‘And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.’ Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” John 14:3-6

For several years, I had been making trips to my sister’s house, 350 miles away; probably four or five each year. But, with the COVID-19 pandemic, traveling was deemed unsafe. For six months, there were no road trips.

During all those years of traveling, I had become proficient at packing. I knew just what I needed to bring and what I wanted to take for any special occasion. You know what I mean—you pack this and that, and these and those, and can’t forget the what ifs and why nots! So, when the travel advisory was lifted, I was ready to go!​

I started thinking about what I needed to pack and the things I wanted to bring, but when it came time to do the actual packing, my thoughts were really scattered. I was frustrated, thinking, What is going on here? I know how to do this blindfolded! Within just a few months, I had gotten out of the habit of preparing for a trip I’d always looked forward to.

People plan and prepare for trips and vacations all the time—sometimes for a year in advance. They check off items they accomplish as the departure date gets closer. Excitement builds each day. And the anticipation! Everything from trying to anticipate what could go wrong—what could happen to change all the plans—to anticipating all the things they will see and do during their trip. All the new people they will meet, or those who they will reunite with during that time. All that preparation, planning and effort for what will end up being a very short trip in the scheme of things.

Does this sound familiar? Have you ever made such preparations for a trip or vacation? Well, how about a trip that will last for eternity? Have you been consistently anticipating the trip to Heaven? Or does it take only a short time for you to get out of the habit of planning and preparing to spend eternity with Jesus? Let’s see. Work gets stressful. Family matters take an emotional toll. Satan does one of his numbers on you. All of the above? Oh yeah.​

We all need to keep in mind that this is not our home. In Heaven for eternity with Jesus is where we want to be. Our preparation is to study God’s Word daily, strive to understand as much as we can, and let His light shine through us every day. We all get distracted—Satan’s plan, you know. Jesus is our salvation and we need to keep close to Him even when our thoughts get really scattered. After all, He did go ahead and prepare a place for us!