By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. (Hebrews 11:8-10 ESV).
Most of us have a warm spot in our hearts for “home.” Even the word home can bring feelings of warmth, love, and security. Though we may grow up and eventually leave our home of origin, our home never quite leaves us. You may remember me citing the many “homes” we have lived in across the country. We’ve loved each of them for different reasons. I suppose our favorite place to live would have been Middle Tennessee. It was a wonderful place to spend nearly seven years. We were privileged to know many wonderful people and found it to be as close to our “dream home” as any. However, the place our children call home is where we live now. They didn’t move quite as much later in their lives as we did early in our married life. We spent seventeen years in Parker County; and now have added another seven years to that total. Nearly half of our married life has been spent in this place. Yet, it really isn’t our home. Mary and I have always practiced making home wherever our anchor dropped. The place was never as important to us. We had each other and the Lord at every place we’ve lived.
Abraham was different in many ways. For much of his life, he was a nomad, moving from one place to another. Even though he left behind places that he could have called home, the book of Hebrews tells us he was “looking forward” to finding his home with God. That’s because God called him and by faith Abraham followed. Oftentimes Abraham lived as an outsider in a foreign land. He knew what it was like to be different from the people around him. As a sojourner, he faithfully followed the Lord as his guide and as God fulfilled promises in his life.
All of us who consider ourselves spiritual children of Abraham have a similar mindset. We follow where the Lord leads. As followers of Jesus, we are never completely comfortable or at home with the value system and lifestyle of this world. As a result, we don’t drive our stakes too deeply into the ground. Instead, we travel lightly. Even if we don’t travel to distant lands, we focus on living as citizens of God’s kingdom. We live in such a way that we long not only for our home with God but also to help bring his coming kingdom here on earth. Wherever your anchor is now, remember your real “home” is being prepared for you in heaven! That’s where the final anchor will be!