Unconditional

There’s really no good place to begin, except with that God is more than enough. In all honesty, that should be the preface of my life and my first thought in everything I face and do. And praise be to Him who is teaching me this very thing.

I was driving home tonight down CO Highway 83 and was conversing with God about the multitude of things that lay on my heart, driving through tears. And there are still no words for the tenderness of His presence…that if one draws near, he/she will truly find Him. Throughout today I have found Him speaking to my heart with His truth and love, making difficult situations purposeful, in order that I may seek and find Him.

God has been laying the story of Abraham on my heart the past couple of days, especially in that He waited so many years for the promise of a son. I went and read Hebrews 11 last night, and God has since been opening my eyes to something deeper there…you can read the chapter here.

I have read the following part before but have never quite understood what was meant by it: 13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

As I read this over and over again last night along with some commentaries and cross references, I finally understood what was meant by them not receiving what was promised. The reference is to the promise of the Promised Land and also for a Messiah, and neither of them came in the aforementioned lifetimes. I’ve been letting that truth along with the other verses sink in over today, and with it, God has answered a lot of my prayers.

What hits me is that though none of those people received what was promised, their hope was not in vain. Their love for God was not conditional. Though these promises were made, they were not basing their faith on what they received, but rather, trust, hope, love. Would anyone of us look back on their stories and call them fools for waiting for something they never received in their lifetimes? I highly doubt it. I think so often we read this chapter from Hebrews and are moved by what God did in their lives by their measure of faith, but I think in that, we miss something more beautiful still—and that is what God didn’t do in their lives but how their faith remained.

I found this on one of my friend’s Facebook pages last night in how she described herself, and it spoke to me much along the same lines:
I'm striving for a goal that I will never reach during my life here. This may make me sound pessimistic, but it is the most encouraging truth to me. Striving after this ambition isn't always easy, but it always proves to be beautiful. Because I stand for something bigger than myself. And there is joy in the fact that letting go of everything else is enough.

Looking back on my life, I have always based my faith on promises received and the manifestation of such. I have looked to situations and blessings and challenges all as reasons to worship God; in other words, tangible things. I haven’t known what it means to worship God only because He is God, and let that be more than enough. He is making that distinction in my life, and bringing me ever more into His presence and grip. It’s now hard not to praise Him for who He is. But still, the lesson remains as my flesh is fickle and wants to look to these tangible things first as reason to draw near to Him. In this, God has been asking me the question of “what would you do and your response be if nothing and no one else in this world remained but Me?” And if I can’t answer that question being fully found in peace, then I deem I am not dwelling in the truths and presence of God…

Because He is always more than enough.

And today, I have found Him speaking both in general and in a couple of specific situations, that my hope is not in vain. There are promises upon which I continue to wait, and at times, do not see the manifestation of the fulfilling of; yet because I place my trust in the Most High and dwell in the truths and promises of His word, I know my hope is not in vain. But in the hoping, there is waiting. In the waiting, there is trust. And in the trust, there better be God, because anything else will fall away.

In the waiting, there comes this need to place my full faith in One alone, even if I may never see or receive promises made in this lifetime. Just like the people mentioned in Hebrews 11, there were promises God fulfilled in their lifetimes and others He did not. I’ve been praying and asking God how I am to love selflessly, and His answer was clear tonight. It is in the waiting. It is in the placing my trust in One greater that He is more than enough regardless if I receive anything tangible in my lifetime. The waiting strips away myself and my desires, because I can’t seek out what I want or hope for. And my love must be great enough to continue and persevere even if I never receive anything I hope for or that is promised.

Because that’s unconditional love.

Because that’s unconditional faith.

Because He is always more than enough.

And He is always more than worthy of all my praise.