After a long diatribe of extolling the virtues of many in the faith, that suffered and endured sometimes excruciating hardships...Hebrews 11:39-40 brings this cheery encouragement, "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better...". I sit here now and ponder...what is better than receiving what God has promised? At this point of my life, my view of my mortality is only a short distance away. There are certain goals, "promises" that I believe to be from the Lord in my heart, things that I am presently living and some of them, living sacrificially for. Will I never see them? Just pie in the sky lofty goals?
I need to come to the place where I understand, or try to understand, the leading of the Lord in my life and to discern His divine direction. Hebrews 11 has many exciting facets to it like Jericho, Joseph, Moses...Noah building the boat that saved his life...but what about me? I'm living second to second, hour by hour, and many of them without the tingling of living out history.
Maybe...the answer is somewhere in 12:1-3? Maybe...I still WANT to receive God's promises...and maybe...in my lifetime. Either way, Hebrews 11 needs a name update to the "By faith" listing. Pat Beamer.
