“A better home, a better place”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Tuesday, July 4, 2023

Hebrews 11:8-16 (Forward, p. 67) CEV p. 1267

I’m not sure whether I would put it in exactly the same words as the author to the Hebrews does, but do think that there is a deeply profound and yet unuttered, undefined yearning for something better and deeper than what our present world has to offer. There is, I would say, a sense in which this world is ‘not our own’, that this world is a foreign and often uncomfortable and unholy, unlikeable place. And so, the idea of an eternal city, a place to call our own, a better home, is indeed attractive. And so, we do have faith, even if it falters and wanes at times, trusting that God will indeed come through with something new and incredibly better. And we trust in this promise, even if we have never seen it (and probably won’t at any point in this life.) And so we depend upon Him and obey Him, even when things are not quite to our liking, knowing, trusting, anticipating, that there is something better in store for all of us.

Forward notes: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going” (verse 8).

“My husband was sent as a missionary to Holguín, a town in eastern Cuba that we didn’t know. He arrived a day before our family and saw the tiny house that would be our home. The neighborhood didn’t have paved streets, water, or sewage systems, and the property was full of weeds. He met us at the train station as we arrived. Looking overwhelmed, he said: ‘Honey, if you all wish to turn around, I understand.’ I told him, ‘God has sent you here; we will stand by you and move forward.’

“Just as Abraham set out for a new land, we left without knowing where we were headed; we moved by faith and held on to that faith. Years have passed since that move, and we are still in this town we now love. In many aspects, our lives have prospered, and we have experienced God’s presence and faithfulness all the time.

“When we move into the unknown, guided by God’s promise only, there is no reason to fear. God always prepares something better.”

Moving Forward: “Pray for direction. Could God have a new calling for you?”