Longing for Home
Text: “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth” (Hebrews 11.13 ESV)
The faith heroes lived with a holy dissatisfaction. They enjoyed God’s blessings in this life, but always with the awareness that something greater awaited. They were like immigrants who appreciate their temporary residence while longing for their true homeland.
This perspective transforms how we view both suffering and success. When life is difficult, we remember this isn’t our permanent address—we’re just passing through on our way to something infinitely better. When life is wonderful, we enjoy it as a foretaste of heavenly joy while keeping our ultimate hopes anchored beyond this world.
Being “strangers and exiles” doesn’t mean being escapists who ignore earthly responsibilities. Rather, it means holding earthly attachments lightly and heavenly promises tightly. We care for this world as stewards, not owners. We engage culture as ambassadors, not citizens.
This eternal perspective provides remarkable stability in unstable times. Political upheavals, economic uncertainties, health crises—these shake people whose hopes are anchored in temporal things. But those who live as strangers and exiles maintain their equilibrium because their security rests in unshakeable realities.
The faith heroes “greeted [God’s promises] from afar”—they could see enough of God’s eternal purposes to live with confident hope, even when full realization remained future. You have even clearer vision through Christ’s completed work and the Spirit’s presence.
Application: Examine your attachments today. What earthly things are you gripping too tightly? How can you hold them more loosely while holding heavenly promises more firmly?
Prayer: Eternal God, remind me daily that I am a stranger and exile in this world, with my true citizenship in heaven. Help me hold earthly blessings with gratitude but not with grasping. Fix my heart on the heavenly country You have prepared for me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Responses