Hebrews 11:8-10 “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed & went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac & Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect & builder is God.”
…In the promised land like a stranger.
After reading these verses I had such a new perspective on Abraham’s life…
I began thinking about how Abraham must’ve felt… can you imagine?
By faith Abraham obeyed the word of God, walked by faith, and went into a land that he had never seen before. When Abraham arrived in the Promised Land, Hebrews says that “he made his home by faith in the promised land like a stranger.“
Did you ever realize that Abraham felt like an outcast, foreigner, and stranger in the land God promised to him? Even though the land was his inheritance and something God promised to give him, it was not yet his… other nations & people occupied the land. Every day must’ve been a test of his faith. He must’ve thought: “I am here: where the Lord has called me, and this is my land, even though it doesn’t look like it now.”
Abraham had to walk by faith — not by sight.
He had to trust God for what he could not see.
Abraham’s life must’ve felt like a constant in-between. Doesn’t walking by faith often feel like that? He was where God wanted him, but he had not yet arrived to where he was going. Abraham understood that the promised land was not his final destination. He was looking forward to heaven & he was willing to follow God anywhere because He was the Reward.
Genesis 15:1 says: “After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your Shield, your exceedingly great Reward.'”
Don’t you love that?!
Many times I’ve viewed the “promised land” as some far-off, dream destination where all my worries and cares will be dissolved because everything will be right & at peace. — but that wasn’t what the promised land was for Abraham or the Israelites! The promise land was not a care-free, luxurious, comfortable, perfect destination. Nope. On the contrary: while it was a land flowing with milk and honey there were also battles to be fought, land to be conquered, and territory to be won.
But the promised land was the place God had prepared for Abraham and his descendants – it was the place where God’s presence was.
“The Lord your God,
who is going before you,
will fight for you,
as He did for you in Egypt,
before your very eyes.”
-Deuteronomy 1:30
Abraham’s life was lived by faith. He never could’ve imagined what the future would hold for his descendants: that Joseph would go to Egypt, that the Egyptians would enslave the Israelites, that God would raise up Moses to deliver His people, and that God would lead His people BACK to the promised land… Abraham did not know what the future held, but he trusted God one step at a time & surrendered his future to God.
Sometimes we have expectations of the promised land: we place all our hope in a “dream destination” when God is trying to get our attention and say, “No place will ever be for you what only I can be. Even the place I call you to. If you are looking for fulfillment in a certain destination or achievement you will only live in constant let-down & disappointment. I AM the destination. Follow Me, My voice, & My leading. I AM the only One who will fulfill every longing and desire of your heart.“
Do you feel out of place where you are?
Are you scared of taking a step of faith into the unknown even though you know that God is calling you?
Have you obeyed the call of God to “GO” but now that you’ve arrived & it isn’t what you expected?
Are you struggling with disappointment or let-down?
Have you been ashamed to confess that you still have no idea what you’re doing?
Did you expect everything to suddenly make sense when you obeyed God’s voice; but it doesn’t?
Let me tell you: you’re not alone!! But I pray that you are encouraged, as am I, because I bet Abraham felt like us at times. But I also know that Abraham also understood something that changed everything — his whole heart’s desire was to be where God was. GOD was his Reward. The promise land was not the reward and it was not designed or created to fulfill Abraham — the promise land was where God would increase Abraham’s faith and develop a real, genuine, life-altering relationship with Abraham. THAT is why God called Abraham to the promised land and that is why God is calling us to walk by faith: because what we learn along the journey is of far greater value that any physical destination or possession.
As I read in Hebrews about Abraham’s faith I am reminded that his walk was not one of perfect submission and immediate obedience: his journey was filled with hasty, self-reliant decisions & he was a man who experienced fear, unbelief & doubt. But in Hebrews 11 there is no record of his failures. Isn’t that such a testimony of God’s amazing mercy & grace?!
I believe that God’s grace on Abraham’s life led him to live a life of worship and awe. His faith was in response to the indescribable grace God had shown him. He was a man God had set His affection upon: not because of anything Abraham had done, but simply because God loved him.
Like Abraham, God is calling each of us to a place He has prepared — He calls us because that journey leads us into deeper faith and relationship with Him. The destination isn’t the goal. The relationship is. Faith and trust is the goal.
God is calling us to live as sojourners: people just passing through, walking by faith, living in response to our gracious Savior, on a journey to the place HE has prepared. A place where our faith shall be our eyes.
“Behold, I send an Angel before you:
to keep you in the way
& to bring you into the place
which I have prepared.”
-Exodus 23:20
"God has a final destination for Israel, but in between are steps: layers of conflict and battles, but He promises Israel that He will go before them and fight their battles for them. Every step of the way has been set by God, and one step leads to the next. Rarely do we see many steps ahead of us. We need to walk entirely by faith. But like God did for Israel: He prepares us one step at a time... As a Christian, I go forward under the power of the Holy Spirit, who is leading and preparing me for the path chosen for me... We may not know where we are going, but as long as we are following the Lord, we have nothing to fear. As we let go of our past, we can get a firm grip on the future God has for us. As we go along God's path, we will find all the provisions we need to be who God wants us to be so that we can arrive at the place God has prepared for us. By faith, each day we access God's provision for us. We never know what we will need, but God does and has made full provision. God has provided a cloud by day and a fire by night in order to get us to our destination." -A.W. Tozer
