Anyone watching the news this week could not avoid photos and videos depicting horrific scenes of war. Following the initial devastation were more images of families driven from their homes by the devastation. Hundreds. Thousands. Walking, riding, limping, carried along dusty roads, seeking safety and shelter.
Human beings who began their day in relative peace and normalcy were unexpectedly thrown into the very different world of life as an exile. With no assurance of basic necessities such as food, water, or safe shelter, leaving the war zone was preferable to the certain death found in remaining. Hopes for an eventual return to what they consider “home” were put on hold as the fight to survive began.
In the spiritual realm, believers face a lifelong separation from their eternal home as they navigate this temporary, physical world. Exiled from the original beauty, peace, and communion with God that was the reality of the Garden of Eden, people of faith inhabit uncertain, sometimes hostile, environments.
Since the fateful choice of Adam and Eve to break clear guidelines set by God, mankind is born with a sin nature that exiles us from perfect fellowship with our Creator. Much like a human being displaced by war or environmental disasters, Christians may feel themselves “outside [their] home, uneasy, on the move, with suffering as a constant” (Jairo Namnun, p. 14; Faithful Exiles).
Yet this very same unsettled restlessness should cause us to look first, to God, and then to our fellow travelers in Christ.
Following the defeat of Jezebel’s prophets of Ba’al at Mount Carmel, Elijah hid in despair at the threats made against him. Rather than condemning his spirit of fear, God revealed that while Elijah believed himself the sole survivor of his faith, there remained at least 7,000 others who refused to compromise (1 Kings 19:4, 18). Peter reminded the early church to resist Satan, strong in the knowledge that other believers shared the same struggles (1 Peter 5:9).
Until arriving in heaven, we remain spiritual exiles. Our assignment is to follow God while remembering and encouraging those who share our journey. We are indeed exiled, but not homeless. Live accordingly.
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