Hebrews 11:32-40
What else can I say? There isn’t
enough time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David,
Samuel, and the prophets. Their faith helped them conquer kingdoms, and
because they did right, God made promises to them. They closed the jaws
of lions and put out raging fires and escaped from the swords of their
enemies. Although they were weak, they were given the strength and power
to chase foreign armies away.
Some women received their loved
ones back from death. Many of these people were tortured, but they
refused to be released. They were sure that they would get a better
reward when the dead are raised to life. Others were made fun of and
beaten with whips, and some were chained in jail. Still others were
stoned to death or sawed in two or killed with swords. Some had nothing
but sheep skins or goat skins to wear. They were poor, mistreated, and
tortured. The world did not deserve these good people, who had to wander
in deserts and on mountains and had to live in caves and holes in the
ground.
All of them pleased God because of their faith! But still
they died without being given what had been promised. This was because
God had something better in store for us. And he did not want them to
reach the goal of their faith without us.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Why
do children (of any age) get cancer? Why was 33-year-old Kathryn
Steinle randomly gunned down while out for an evening stroll with her
dad in San Francisco last week? Why did so many college athletes work
incredibly hard for a shot at a pro career…only to be overlooked in the
draft? Why can college graduates not find a job in their field? Why
was a young couple in Sandusky, Ohio, involved in a car crash last
October that left the groom dead and the bride seriously injured? Why
do we have orphans, physical abuse, and animal cruelty? Why DO bad
things happen to good people?
There is no “good” answer to this
question…at least not one that we can readily wrap our brains around and
accept. But let’s look at the last two sentences in this scripture
passage again…”This was because God had something better in store for
us. And he did not want them to reach the goal of their faith without
us.” What on earth does this mean?
It would seem that OUR
faith is tied to the faith of those who have gone before us. God does
indeed have better things in store for us, but in order to fully embrace
this concept, we have to look at the examples of those who worked hard,
served well, and maybe even seemed to do everything right – or at least
to do what they believed God was calling them to do. And yet, they
never fully realized all of their earthly hopes and dreams. Maybe they
never experienced all that they felt God had promised them in this
lifetime.
I don’t know about you, but I have had a hard time with
this idea more than once…the TRUST that God really does have something
better in store for you and me. But I must believe this…because nothing
else makes sense. Surely there is more! God is too big for this
earthly life to be “it”…don’t you think? And so I study the stories in
scripture of those who served and suffered for their faith…and I am
strengthened and encouraged in my own relationship with my Heavenly
Father.
I trust that God knows best…that He does have far better
things in store for each of us in Heaven…and this gives me hope and
fortitude for my daily journey on this earth. What about you?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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