Early one morning, while “putting my case” to the Lord about His apparent lack of interest in a matter, the inner voice of the Holy Spirit brought to my mind the heroes listed in Hebrews, chapter 11, who, “having obtained a good report through faith, did not receive the promise” (verse 39). The patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived in the Land of Promise hundreds of years before their descendants entered and possessed it.
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off and being persuaded of them, embraced them and confessed that they were pilgrims and strangers on the earth.” From great distance, they saw the fulfilment of God’s promises to Abraham, and so by faith held to them tightly, and confessed that they were only “strangers passing through”. (Their descendants would arrive back in the land from Egypt and possess it more than 400 years later.)
No doubt we all have promises that God is yet to fulfil; however, we must not view them as outstanding, as though God is indebted to us until He fulfils them. Doing so would be very offensive to God, not to mention unworthy of us.
We should remind ourselves that in Old Testament times, those who believed God not only lived by faith but died in faith without having seen them fulfilled. Moreover, they died confessing that they did not belong, that God had something better for them — a Father’s Land much greater than any that existed in their time.
The Spirit of God once said to me: “You are impatient to the degree that you believe that I am late.” I protested and said: “Lord, you are never late!” No reply. Silence. Message received and understood.
All the great men and women of listed in this great faith chapter died in the faith by which they had lived. Most of us had parents and friends who believed that Jesus would return in their lifetime. They too, “died in faith” after ‘entering in’ and by faith ‘possessing’ God’s promises. But we who live in the dying days of this age may well see the promised return of the Lord Jesus, and if you are one of them, say: “Message received and understood. Out.”