The just shall live by faith

I put Hannah's blog post on my facebook page yesterday, it was such an encouraging exhortation from a young woman to wives everywhere to live by faith in obeying God's instruction that wives should honor their husbands. It elicited this sad response:

We will see if she is still smiling after 20 years more [and 6-10 more kids] of being drug place to place while the husband tries to fulfill his ever-changing "dreams."

I hear this dear woman's embittered tiredness. And I long to share with her what we heard in this morning's sermon on Hebrews 11:8-22. How Abraham obeyed God's call, waiting all his life in tents, tents which even his heirs, Isaac and Jacob, lived in, by faith, waiting "for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God." How Sarah judged God faithful to His promises for a son from whom multitudes would be born, though she was past childbearing years. "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland." How Isaac and Jacob blessed their sinful sons, by faith. How Joseph believed in God's promises so much, by faith, that he gave instructions for his bones to be moved when Abraham's family would finally go to the promised land, something that didn't happen for 400 years. Oh, please listen to the July 10, 2011 sermon from Palm Vista Community Church!

Pastor Pino told the story of Henry Morrison, long-time missionary to Africa returning to the United States on the same ship as President Teddy Roosevelt who'd been on a safari. He was bitterly disappointed to find the crowds that greeted the ship were there only to see the famous president and no one was there to welcome him back after all his years of self-denying service. He asked his wife "I don't get it...for 40 years we poured our lives into ministry and service. And yet we come back to America and not a single soul comes to welcome us home!" The story goes that his wife comforted him with the words "Henry, you have forgotten something, you're not home yet!"

Ah, my friend TK, judge God faithful to the promises He has made. Live for these promises as our ancestors in the faith did. We are not home yet. If we are tired from all the moves that we have made for our husbands' dreams, if we are unappreciated by the many children we once welcomed from the Lord, if we are bone-tired at the end of each day, and soul-tired from the difficulties and disappointments of this world, remember that we desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. God has prepared a city for us!