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“By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a
foreign land…”
“For he was looking forward to the city that has
foundations, whose designer and builder is God.”
“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. For people who speak thus make it
clear that they are seeking a homeland.
“If they had been thinking of that land from which they had
gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire
a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be
called their God, for He has prepared for them a city.” Hebrews 11:9a, 10,
13-16
Many aspects have become comfortably familiar – like how to get
around by boat and motorcycle, the delicious local foods which I find myself
craving, the nearly ever-present sunny days, how I now naturally adjust my
American “accent” to be more understandable to the nationals, how I love the
lively African worship, being accustomed to not understanding most of what is
being said around me, taking cold bucket baths, and more.
But in me there’s an ache for home.
“Home” has been redefined for me. Most of us know it as the "familiar," a sense of where we belong, a place we're always welcome to, where
we instinctively know the habitual patterns of life, and carry out activities
without thinking.
I love my American “home,” mostly because of the dear people
there whom I love and miss so much. But, truthfully, I will never again be completely at
“home” there. I have changed. And, what was familiar and normal there has
become…different and less familiar. (I first wrote about this topic back in 2014.)
Yet, my longing to belong, to sense welcome, to know I fit
somewhere is still there.
Hebrews 11 says Abraham was called to a place he didn’t know
and he obeyed and went. He lived in tents, suggesting he wasn't a permanent
citizen in the new place, though he was called to the land of his inheritance. If
God had told me, “I want you to go to a strange new land and it will belong to
you.” I would say, “Wow, let me pack all of my belongings ‘cause God has given
me new digs!”
But Abraham lived in the land of promise…in a tent. What?!
God essentially told him – “This land belongs
to you and to your children and children’s children.” Yet, he chose to live in
a fabric house? Why didn’t he put down roots?
Here in Uganda, people live in mud houses and huts, but when
they decide to use brick and concrete, we say they are putting up a “permanent”
home. In a sense, the mud structures are temporary – they don’t last forever.
They break down, the mud needs replacing, or the termites eat the wood framing.
But when someone wants to stake a claim and basically say “I
am here to stay” they put money and time and effort into what will last,
building with strong materials.
So, why didn’t Abraham do this?
Because he looked forward to another city – an eternal,
God-designed, God-constructed one - one that was to be forever.
God’s people Israel knew what it was to be exiles, pilgrims,
foreigners and strangers. From the time of Abraham they sought their own place,
their own place of belonging. They had that place until famine caused Jacob and
his family to move to Egypt. After a time, their “home” became very unfriendly
and “slaves” became their new job titles. After 400 years of serving someone else
in a foreign land, God delivered them in the Exodus.
But when hard times came in transit, the people complained, “Let’s
go back to Egypt. At least we know what’s there. This ‘home’ God is taking us
to – we’ve never seen it. How do we know we’ll make it?”
God patiently put up with these stubborn people and eventually
took them into their long-awaited home, the “Promised Land.” He even ousted the
nations who had taken up residence in the Israelites’ absence.
In years to come God’s discipline meant His people would be taken
captive by an enemy nation – forcefully carried into a strange, unwelcome land.
And then the people would long to return “home.” Being returned to the
motherland was the ultimate joy and blessing.
But was the “Promised Land” really where God intended His
people to be at “home”?
As I’ve studied this idea of “exile,” I realize there’s too
much for one post, so I will continue it.
Before I close, though, let me ask, “How do you view
yourself in this world - as a pilgrim or a permanent resident?”
How we view our
stay on Earth and the implications of our perspective are very important.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
