Experiencing God's Presence #24

All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it.

Hebrews 11:13

All the heroes of faith we look up to—all those famous characters we assume stand head and shoulders above us—are people who did not receive all of God’s promise. Abraham, who received a promised son, didn’t step fully into God’s complete purpose for humanity. Neither did Enoch, who was taken to heaven without dying because his relationship with God was so close. Neither did Noah or Jacob or Joseph. God accomplished amazing things through them and wrote His story with them so we could probe for deep, eternal truths. But they didn’t see the Kingdom come. They didn’t experience His Spirit dwelling within them. They didn’t enjoy His constant Presence. They lived in a time when things were still developing.

We live under a better covenant. That’s the point the writer of Hebrews is making. Not only can we know God exists, receive His rewards for seeking Him, and partner with Him on His mission; the relationship we can have with Him now is qualitatively better than the relationship these heroes of faith had with Him. Jesus has raised us into an entirely new creation. We can know God more completely than they did.

God gave these men and women of faith some glimpses of the ultimate goal—an eternal dwelling where His Presence is the centerpiece and where we will dwell with them. So when you pursue His Presence today, you are pursuing His ultimate goal for you. You don’t have to add “if it’s Your will” to that prayer. It is. He has already said so and has pointed us to an eternal city filled with His Presence. The longing within you is like a homing device that always leads you to Him. Follow it without reservation.

Lord, it’s hard to believe that I can experience You more fully than Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph did, but You say so. Please help me never fall short of that goal.

From the book