“But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” —Hebrews 11:16
In the Greek language, the word for desire used here means “To stretch oneself, reach out after, long for, covet after.” Desiring, stretching, and reaching for what God has prepared for us is good.
In the 1992 Olympics, Gayle Deavers, a woman of faith, finished her hundred meters race with four other competitors appearing to have tied on the line. It was so close that the race couldn’t be called until the film was scrutinized. Gayle Deavers won by one one-hundredth of a second. The deciding factor? She stretched her head down and forward, just enough to reach for that goal and win the gold!
That’s a desire to win, to finish the race. Desiring to walk by faith means that you are reaching for it, grasping it, with all your heart, mind, and soul. You are reading God’s Word and praying, and you know, by faith, that He will recognize the desires of your heart.
These early believers desired a better place than this world. They longed to be where God wanted them to be; they didn’t settle for whatever came along. God wants that for each of us. In fact, “He has prepared a city for them”—and us!
