Almost as soon as the ferry began to move, I started to feel ill with seasickness. “Just stare at the horizon,” I reminded myself. Sailors say this helps to keep a good perspective while the boat bobs about.

God, the maker of the horizon (JOB 26:10), knows that sometimes we will get scared or worried. We can keep a good perspective on things by focusing on the distant but steady horizon we’re heading towards.

The writer of Hebrews understood this. He knew his readers were struggling. Their trust in Jesus had meant that many of them had been attacked and had lost their homes. So he reminded them that other followers of God had gone through hard times, hatred and homelessness. They kept on going because they knew something much better was coming.

In their struggles, these readers could look forward to the city “whose architect and builder is God” (HEB. 11:10), the heavenly “country” (V.16), the city God had prepared for them (V.16). So the writer asked his readers to focus on God’s promises. “For here we do not have [a long-lasting] city, but we are looking for the city that is to come” (13:14).

The hard things we’re going through right now won’t last forever. We are “foreigners and strangers on earth” (11:13), but as we focus on heaven on the horizon and remember all of God’s promises, we will find we can keep going.

By: Keila Ochoa

To Pray About . . .

Father, in the middle of my worries and stress, help me to focus on Your promises.