Mountain Movers

For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (Hebrews 11:10)

We look forward to happy events in our lives-- vacations, retirement, honeymoons, having families, building relationships, and being promoted in our jobs. Anticipation of these happenings excite us and consume our thoughts. The next verse begins with Abraham also "looking forward to" something. He was both hopeful and expectant. He knew that no matter how circumstances might appear, his life was only going to improve. Why was he so hopeful? Because, simply, he trusted that the promises of God were going to come true.

Abraham cast his thoughts longingly towards "the city with foundations." It wasn't "a" city, it was "the" city. There was one geographical location he aspired to. And it had foundations-- an unshakable, unbreakable and unconquerable infrastructure. Is God using "the city" to refer to the "promised land" in this particular verse? Let's look further.

We read that "the city" was designed and built by God. Since God is perfect, the City of God is also perfect. In the world today, there are many huge cities with startlingly magnificent features. Sao Paulo, Paris, New York, Venice and Tokyo come to mind. Yet, each one of these cities has their share of problems because they have all been built by people. Even the most beautiful vacation spots on earth still have irritating insects or other unforeseen inconveniences. But God's City is perfect in every way.

In 1 John 2:17 it is written that "the world and its desires will pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." The world will vanish. Everything man-made will vanish. God's City is eternal. God's City is in Heaven. Abraham was looking forward to Heaven. And fixing his eyes on Heaven affected absolutely how he lived his life.

In Revelation 21, John describes Heaven as a city. Verse 21 it states that "the street of the city is pure gold, transparent as glass." Will Heaven be a city with gold and streets? No. Heaven is indescribable. It's beyond our imagination-- but for us to relate to how amazing it is, John envisions the New Jerusalem in Revelation using the most precious of earthly materials. Whatever Heaven will be, will be perfect-- Heaven will surpass our most wonderful dreams of its awe-inspiring, magnificent reality. We get a glimpse in Revelation 21:3ff of what Abraham was looking forward to. "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away."

Abraham thrilled to reflect upon spending more time with God in His City. In Isaiah 41:8, God mentions "Abraham my friend." Certainly, Abraham had a close, intimate relationship with God and was looking for every opportunity to draw even nearer to Him.

Abraham yearned to go to a place where there would be no more death, sadness and pain. Jesus talked about Abraham in heaven. In Matthew 8:11, he mentioned that "any will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." How amazing it will be to spend time with Abraham and his family dining on heavenly food!

Jesus also mentioned how Abraham gave advice to others from Heaven. In Luke 16, Jesus tells about the rich man and Lazarus. In verse 22, the angels carried Lazarus to Abraham's side in heaven. How amazing it must have been for Lazarus, a beggar on earth, to be personally carried by angels and placed alongside one of his spiritual heroes. The rich man, on the other hand, went to hell. The rich man saw Abraham in heaven and asked for relief from his agony. Abraham reminded him that where he is resulted from the decisions he made in his life. The rich man then begged Lazarus to warn his family, to which Abraham replied, "if they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead."(Luke 22:31) Even in this situation, Abraham was showing the man that it is in acts of faith rather than in signs of wonder that will shape people's spiritual destinies.

Jesus told the Jews how he had fellowship with Abraham. In John 8:56, he said that "Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad." Those who had faith were inspired by this. The rest were angry and wanted to kill Jesus.

For Abraham, just thinking about spending time with God and Jesus filled his heart with joy. At the same time, thinking about Heaven also translated into a life of joy that impacted those around him and those in the future that would regard him as the father of their faith. One of the characteristics of the faithful is that they look forward to heaven. However, it is not merely wishful thinking. It is something that spurs them on towards living a life of faith, hope, and love. They draw courage from it and become more intimate with God through their dreams of Heaven.

Fixing our eyes on Heaven trains us to have an expansive spiritual mindset. In the next chapter, we will look see how the faith of Abraham and Sarah together was able to do amazing things in their lives that others would believe impossible. Against all hope, they demonstrated a faith that would in turn inspire billions of people through all generations.