To the Promise

"If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return." Hebrews 11:15

Oh this is such a great verse. It feels like an odd thing to say, as do many parts of Scripture, although admittedly more odd plucked out of context like I have done here. This part of Hebrews is showing the faith of those that have come before and how their faith had not been disappointed. It was faith in a promise. A promise they did not receive in their lifetime because it was yet to come. And yet, it was not disappointed.

It was a faith longing for something better, perfect. A place to call home and dwell in perfect security, in love and without fear.

This world does not contain that place. We're post-Jesus so we arguably have more resources at our disposal than those counted in this chapter and yet, does it make us less likely to think of the country we had left? 

I'm so prone to seeing the trees instead of the forest. I have really no hesitation believing everything will be ok in the end. My doubt emerges in so often having great concern with the path to get there. I so easily doubt the Creators love, over dumbs things, you see. I'm like a child who's riding a 7-second emotion-span.

When in faith we committed our lives to the Lord and asked Jesus to come in, we left everything behind- the "country [we] had left." We left it all at His feet and He nailed the bad parts to the cross. But we left it all, even the parts we might consider good. We submitted and have committed our lives to continually, each day, each moment, submit to His authority and plan. Submit to His deep love for us and in the submission find vulnerability as strength. You see, that vulnerability whether is our lack of control of this world or occasionally of a realization of just how mighty and powerful God is, can often, in human fear, give us opportunity to return from the country [we] had left." We're afraid and we turn back to old habits that we know; we turn back to what we think makes us happy; we turn back to seemingly safe things.

Nothing is safe outside of God. Nothing is eternal or worthwhile. He's very clear in scripture that our earthly lives will not look like what we think and there may be great heartache. But to turn back would be a mistake. We must in faith look ahead to His promises. We must live in assurance of a loving, faithful God and that He, in His infinite wisdom is the sovereign, almighty God we need Him to be.