This is part two of our series “A City With Foundations…” Read part one here.
“By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles… for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” — Hebrews 11:9-10 (KJV)
Have you ever reached a long-awaited goal only to realize it didn’t satisfy you as you thought it would? Perhaps you landed the job, bought the house, or achieved something significant, yet deep down, something still felt incomplete.
That’s because you were created for more, more than this world can offer.
Abraham Lived for Eternity, Not Just for Today
Abraham reached the land God had promised and experienced great prosperity. As I pointed out in Part 1 of this series of blogs, Genesis 13:2 tells us, “Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.”
Yet, he was never fully , even in the land of promise. Hebrews 11:9 says he “sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles.” Why? Because God put in his heart a longing for more and a sense that this world is not the final destination.
“For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” (Hebrews 11:10)
I believe the “city” Abraham longed for was the New Jerusalem seen by the Apostle John, as recorded in the book of Revelation.
Chapter 21 of that book describes the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven “as a bride adorned for her husband, having the glory of God…” (Rev. 21:2, 11).
“The city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones… and the twelve gates were twelve pearls.” (Rev. 21:18-19)
John writes that it will have twelve gates, twelve foundations, and “lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth…” (Rev. 21:16). In our future home, there will be no temple, the Bible says, because “the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.” (Rev. 21:22). It does not need sunshine, “For the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. . . .” (Rev. 21:23). Finally, the Bible says:
“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Rev. 21:27)
Abraham’s heart was set on a heavenly city, one designed and built by God Himself. He understood that the greatest fulfillment wasn’t in the land of promise but in the eternal inheritance God had prepared.
We Are Wired for Eternity
Just like Abraham, we are wired for eternity. That’s why nothing in this world fully satisfies.
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
We long for a world without pain, brokenness, or disappointment. The Word describes this as a “groaning” inside of us:
“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” (Romans 8:22-23)
This yearning is not accidental — it’s a divine reminder that we were created for a greater reality.
Why Is Life So Difficult If God Is with Me?
If God is with us, some people ask, why do we still face hardship and delay? It’s partly because we live in the tension between what is and what is yet to come. We live between the fallen state of this world and the perfection of heaven.
Even Jesus taught us to pray:
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)
We are living in the “already, but not yet.” While God’s kingdom is advancing, the fullness of His promise is still unfolding.
Don’t Settle for Less Than God’s Best
Abraham didn’t settle because he knew something greater was coming. And neither should we. No matter how good things may seem in this life, they can never compare to what God has prepared for us.
“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)
Fix your eyes on eternity. What God has for you is far better than anything this world can offer.
