Journey’s End
This is an audio recording of Journey’s End, the Day 20 entry in Today: Devotions for Seafarers (Vol. 2) by Jason Zuidema.
Listen to the audio by Donielle Hart Goad or read the text below:
“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”
Have you ever thought about the end of your life? What will you have accomplished? What will you be able to say about the time you have spent on board a ship?
I once remarked to a friend that I realized my life could already be half (or more) over. He responded by saying he had done a spiritual exercise with others in his church to help them focus on the top priorities in life. They decided to take time to write their own obituaries. They reasoned that if we thought about how others would remember us after we die, we could concentrate on the best priorities in life before we die.
I don't know if I am ready to write my own obituary, but I know that obituaries can be revealing. Though most obituaries present only basic information about the deceased, some are among the most honest and life-affirming documents I have ever read. This leads me to wonder, "What do I want the top priorities in my life to be?"
Today's reading from Hebrews is a kind of obituary. The writer says that these people "were still living by faith when they died," meaning that they remained faithful to God and trusted in all his promises— even though the promises had not been fulfilled by the time they died. Their journey of faith in this life continued into the next life, even though they did not yet see the full reality of all they believed in.
Can we say this about ourselves? God is the one who gives faith. So in his strength it really is possible to live by faith even while we are dying— and to trust that when we die, we will go on living in God's presence.
For Further Thought
What might your family and friends say about you if you died today?
Are you living a faithful life? Explain.
Have you asked Jesus to strengthen your faith? What are the results?
Prayer
Lord, I confess that in "body and soul, in life and in death," I am "not my own, but belong" to you. Not even a hair can fall from my head without your will. What a comfort! Praise be your name! Amen.
