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.
Nathan
and I were watching YouTube videos the other day of ordinary people
opening boxed toys. Every few minutes, Nathan would say, “I want that!”
or “I need that toy, Debbie…can we get it?” I would tell him, “Not
now,” as I made a mental note of what he liked – or put something on my
“wish list” at Amazon.com for future reference. Then Nathan would
say…”Yeah…but for my birthday!” I would acknowledge…”Well, MAYBE for
your birthday.”
It’s April…Nathan’s birthday is not until
August. For a 3½-year-old, waiting that long is akin to adults waiting
for Jesus’ second coming…it’s a LONG TIME! And if the truth be told, a
lot of the toys on “the list” will never be purchased. If Nathan
doesn’t receive a Spider-Man mask that talks and a Spider-Man glove that
“spins webs,” he will survive. And he will be so excited over what he
DOES get, that he will hardly notice that anything is missing.
Life
is largely about priorities. In one of my mother’s journals, she
mentioned her arch-enemy…time. Mother never had enough of it. She said
her husband pointed out to her that we all have 24 hours in a day. I’m
sure that did not go over well…and I get that! We all have desires and
goals…aspirations for things we want to accomplish. We all have
struggles and challenges…illnesses and injuries…hurts and heavy hearts
at times. And we all hope against hope that God will fix ALL of this!
And He does…but not always as we imagined or intended!
Just as
there will be birthday parties – and presents – for Nathan and his
siblings, there will be a “party to end all parties” someday for us in
Heaven, if we have surrendered our hearts - and sins - to Jesus. All of
the things we hoped and dreamed for – and all of the requests we made
known to God - will not matter at that time, because the Ultimate Prize
of His perfect promises and designs for our Eternity will be
manifested. In other words…a lot of the things we fight so hard for -
and think we want or need on this earth - really won’t matter in the
long run.
Believe me…I’ve thought about this a lot lately. My
mother left many “projects” on the table - books and articles she wanted
to write…trips she wanted to take…things she wanted to do with her
great-grandchildren…and more. She quite literally ran out of time. And
you know what? None of it matters today. She sits in Heaven at the
feet of Jesus with other believers who went before her…and she would not
return to work on her “list” for all of the tea in China! God has
rewarded her with more time than she can use…and glorious activities to
fill it. She is at peace and has no frustration or sense of urgency
about anything. And this is waiting for us someday, as well.
So
let’s shift our focus a little. We must continue to have goals…and
hope. We must continue to believe that God is in the business of
fulfilling promises…healing and righting wrongs…fixing our messes and
giving us the desires of our heart. But we must also understand that
these must all line up with HIS desires and plans for us…and it all
pales in comparison to what He has waiting for us in Heaven.
If we got all that God promised us now, there would nothing to look forward to afterward. We must live with faith that everything gets better in Paradise…and operate in hope and confidence until the day comes that we see it firsthand. Are you pleasing God with your faith these days?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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