Stranger In A Strange Land

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, and he went out without understanding where he was going.  By faith he lived as a foreigner in the promised land as though it were a foreign country…Abraham died in faith without receiving the things promised, but he saw them in the distance and welcomed them and acknowledged that he was a stranger and foreigner on this earth.  (Hebrews 11:8, 13)

I have always been fascinated by people watching, especially when I am visiting a new city or town on vacation.  This weekend in Ellijay, Georgia, Alicia and I observed the locals at a small music festival on Saturday evening and felt like two outsiders, for sure.  For starters, we don’t have a Harley Davidson, we weren’t wearing boots, and our Southern accents were certainly not thick enough.  Regardless, we had a great time and when I read the above passage from Hebrews, it made me think of how we are all 'foreigners' here on this earth.

One of my favorite stories from the Bible is Abraham leading the exiles out of Egypt into the wilderness for years and years in the pursuit of the promised land.  (By the way, it’s also a great passage to read when you are struggling with impatience.)  Abraham never actually saw the end destination-the promised land, but yet remained steadfast and continually obeyed God’s command despite the years of searching and the endless complaining and anger from the impatient exiles he was leading.

We are all here on this earth for a short time and this is not our final destination-we are essentially strangers in a strange land living with the promise of what’s to come in the next life-eternity with God in heaven. It's easy to become frustrated and defeated when our needs are not met immediately, but this world is simply not our home.  


Let us not be so attached to this world's desires and possessions that we can't move out at God's command.