A Heavenly City
This is an audio recording of A Heavenly City the Day 7 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. ”
After a long, tiring day of travel, nothing is better than arriving at a destination where a meal and bed are prepared. Knowing the journey is behind you makes the food taste better and the bed more comfortable.
You probably know the satisfaction of arriving home after a long contract at sea. When you are not sure where you will eat or sleep, or whether you will even make it home on the day you have planned, the journey can be extra stressful.
The writer of Hebrews describes several Old Testament believers who were living and walking by faith. They really didn't know where they were headed. They could have gone back to their original country. But instead they were looking ahead to a much better place, one that they knew God was preparing for them.
Christians-- who long for the kingdom of God-- can also be encouraged that God will take care of them and has prepared a place for them. The image here is not that of a tent or a hotel room, but something permanent-- a home that will include everything a believer needs.
The images Scripture uses to describe this home, "a country of their own" and " a city for them," can inspire our imaginations, but we do not yet have all the answers about what this home will look like.
Yet we do know it will be a place of rest and joy. How could it not be? The God of the universe is preparing it for us!
For Further Thought
What feelings do you have when you arrive home after a long contract?
What is it like to sleep in your own bed after arriving home?
Why is it encouraging that God will take care of us after our journey through life?
Prayer
King of Heaven, we long to visit your beautiful city. Thank you for preparing a place for us. Send your Spirit to give us joy and peace for the remaining days of our pilgrimage in this world. Amen.
