Staring Death in the Faith

Abraham lived for 62 years in the land God promised him before owning any of it. Even then, Abraham only purchased a plot of ground to bury his wife. The Cave of Machpelah in Hebron not only entombed Sarah’s body, but it also became the burial place of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

So when Abraham purchased a plot to bury Sarah, he demonstrated great faith in God’s promise to give him all the land—even though he (and many descendants) would die before ever receiving it. “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises,” the book of Hebrews reminds us, “having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13).

Even though we suffer great loss in death, we do not lose God’s promises, because they continue beyond the grave.

We know this, sure. So why do we refuse to leave an eternal quest for the ideal life in the here and now?

Oh, we know about the hope of heaven and the bit about seeking first God’s kingdom. But in spite of all we believe as true, we still scurry to find satisfaction in this life.

When we fail to find it (as we always will), we often abandon the boring job, the struggling marriage, or the imperfect church, believing that we’ve simply been looking in the wrong place.

And in a way, we have.

Death brings the startling reality that this world is not our home. Like Abraham, we should remember that the ultimate satisfaction we seek comes after our death and resurrection.

Death represents not the end of life but its beginning.

"Let your hope of heaven master your fear of death. Why should you be afraid to die, who hopes to live by dying?" —William Gurnall

Adapted from Wayne Stiles, Going Places with God: A Devotional Journey Through the Lands of the Bible (Ventura, CA: Regal, 2006), 36. Used by permission. Photo courtesy of BiblePlaces.com. Illustration Public Domain, from the 1728 Figures de la Bible, Gerard Hoet (1648-1733) and others, published by P. de Hondt in The Hague in 1728. Source here.