阅读经文 

每年夏天，我和妻子都会装上面包车，带着孩子们露营一周。孩子们现在已经长大了，可以帮忙搭建帐篷和营地，并适应一周的生活规律。我们都很期待这些一起外出的时光。

但是，住在帐篷里无法取代一个稳固的家。《希伯来书》的作者回顾了以色列族长的故事，明确指出有更深层次的东西在推动我们寻找家园。凭着信心，我们“等候那座有根基的城，就是神所经营、所建造的”。（参来 11:10）

当然，并非所有人都能认识到这种更深层次的追求。我们常常拔起木桩，去寻找能让我们生活得更好的东西。我们想象自己或用一周的郊野度假，或结交新的男朋友、女朋友，或用烈酒，或用新的工作，或用一个更漂亮的家——或者任何似乎能满足我们渴望的东西，来应付现实处境中的艰辛和痛苦。但与我们的救主为我们准备的“有许多住处”的家相比，（参约 14:2）这个世界所能提供的最好的东西也不过是帐篷露营而已。

族长们凭着信仰，去了某个地方。他们或跟随上帝的呼召，或发现上帝正与他们同在。他们明白了，仅仅去某个地方永远无法满足他们的渴望，只有上帝才能满足他们的渴望。

我们也明白吗？

Every summer my wife and I load up our van and spend a week camping with our kids. The children are old enough now to help with setting up the tent and the campsite and settling in to the routines of the week. We look forward to these times away together.

But living in a tent is no substitute for a solid home. The writer of Hebrews, looking back at the stories of Israel's patriarchs, makes clear that something deeper drives our search for home. In faith we are "looking for the city whose architect and builder is God."（see Hebrews 11:10）

Not all of us might recognize this deeper search, of course. Often we pull up stakes in search of something that will make our lives better. We imagine we can trade the hardships and heartaches of one situation for a week at the cottage, or with a new boyfriend or girlfriend, or with a stiff drink, or a new job, or a nicer home—whatever will seem to fulfill our longing. But the best this world can offer is mere tent camping compared to the home with "many rooms" that our Savior prepares for us .(John 14:2)

The patriarchs, by faith, went somewhere. They followed God's call or discovered that God was with them as they went. And they learned that just going somewhere could never satisfy the longing that only God could fulfill.

Do we know that as well?