Joyfully Expecting!ಮಾದರಿ

Welcoming God's promises from a distance

“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar.” (Hebrews 11:13 ESV)

The book of Hebrews in the Bible contains a long list of believers who lived centuries before. Their attitude in life was characterized by expectation. They had received wonderful promises from God that were passed down from generation to generation and sometimes reaffirmed by God.

For example, the Lord God promised that the great enemy of mankind, Satan, would be defeated (see Genesis 3:15). He promised that Abraham's family would grow into a great nation that would possess a beautiful land in Canaan and be a blessing to other nations. (See Genesis 12:2 and Genesis 15.) These promises were repeated to Abraham's son, Isaac, and to his grandson, Jacob. They already saw the beginning of the fulfillment, but none of these people experienced the complete realization of all the promises.

Nevertheless, they embraced God's promises with confidence. They saw them “from afar.” They only received a taste of them, and that was enough to make them believe that God would also fulfill the rest of His promises.

Suppose you are promised something wonderful, but it will only happen after your death. Does that promise make you happy, or is it “meaningless” to you? What role could your faith play in this?