Gospel Song – Sending Up My Timber

Gospel – Sending Up My Timber.

“There are many dwelling places in my Father’s household. If it were otherwise, I would tell you plainly, because I go to prepare a place of rest for you.” (John 14:2).

There is a heartfelt and fascinating old Gospel song in the African-American tradition entitled “Sending Up My Timber.” Here are the lyrics:

“There’s a dream that I dream

of my heavenly home.

I know that I’m going there one day.

May be morning, night or noon,

I just don’t know how soon.

That’s why I’m sending up my timber every day, every day.

My mother and my father, they are waiting for me

in our heavenly, heavenly home.

I know that we all will meet again.

May be morning, night or noon,

I don’t know just how soon,

But I’m sending up my timber every day, every day.

O there’s a mansion somewhere in glory

that the Lord has prepared for you and me.

May be morning, night or noon,

I just don’t know, just how soon.

That’s why I’m sending up my timber every day, every day.

Sending Up My Timber 2003 College Hill Musical – YouTube

The sense in this Gospel classic is that we have a hand in helping Jesus build our heavenly home. Jesus is indeed the builder of our future dwelling place, but we can send Him the materials with which to build our mansion. We send up the timber through our selfless acts of love and faith here on earth. Jesus has the plans, we send up the materials.

We daily send up our timber when we earnestly pray, when we sing in praise, when we honor and extol God in word and worship. We send up our timber when we perform acts of kindness and mercy that go unnoticed and unappreciated. We send up timber when we love an enemy, when we forgive someone, when we serve someone. We send up our timber when we sit with the broken-hearted and mourn with them. When we encourage and build up someone, we are sending up our timber for our heavenly home. When we labor in the vineyard, providing a vibrant testimony and spreading the Good News, we are sending up our timber.

Every good deed done in secret sends up a roof beam. Every loving act sends up a 2 x 4 stud. Every intimate conversation we have with God sends up a floorboard. Every time we share the truth, we send up a door post. Every thoughtful word of healing sends up clapboard for the siding. When we follow Jesus’ commands, when we please Him through word and action, we are sending up a truckload of timber for our ongoing construction project in glory land. Sending up our timber is a righteous way to invest in heavenly real estate.

Looking at this from a slightly different angle, to send up timber is a way of storing up our treasures in heaven, where no thief can break into the house, where termites and rot cannot destroy it. (Matthew 6:19-20).  To send up our timber is to be rich toward God (Luke 12:21) as we live our daily lives in His presence. Sending up timber means we treasure what God treasures, a life of earthly obedience for the sake of the coming Kingdom.

I’ve heard it said that our salvation breaks the ground for our heavenly home. It is then that Jesus has started preparing our home, and we are a part of His construction plans. Sending up our timber now on earth will go far in determining what our heavenly home will look like. Sending up our timber reveals where our treasure is, where our heart is. Good deeds done to please God’s heart are heaven-bound, destined for a believer’s future dwelling.

Perhaps this Gospel song may be used as a savvy piece of marketing for our future home, a way of encouraging each of us to send up our timber…

Could I interest you in some heavenly real estate? Build to suit. Experienced builder. You provide the lumber and materials. Eternal satisfaction guaranteed. A can’t-miss investment in a solid neighborhood. Required participation in a profitable lay-away plan. 

ARC Choir – Sending Up My Timber/Been To The Water (1994) – YouTube