October 28, 2010
Hebrews 11
Cammie Wilson
In a recent staff meeting, the subject of having faith in the midst of difficult times became a topic of discussion. I half-serious/half-jokingly said, “Well, it’s easy to have faith when you’re in control. It’s when you’re not in control that it’s hard!” Needless to say, I got a few laughs out of that one.
Yet let’s think about it. Isn’t it easy to have faith when you think you can SEE the outcome? It’s when the outcome or final destination is not seen, or invisible, that faith is truly given the opportunity to be put into action. Hebrews 11:1 states it this way: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
In other words, faith is complete and ultimate trust in God and His promises, despite what circumstances or fears seem to be telling us. Hebrews 11 goes on to give amazing examples of patriarchs who went before us, all rich in faith:
- BY FAITH Abel offered God a better sacrifice than his brother, Cain
- BY FAITH Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death
- BY FAITH Noah built the ark
- BY FAITH Abraham made his home in the promised land, where he was “a stranger in a foreign country”
- BY FAITH Abraham became a father when he was well past age
- BY FAITH the Israelites passed through the Red Sea
- BY FAITH the prostitute Rahab hid the spies
- BY FAITH the walls of Jericho fell, after the people marched around them for seven days
These are just a few examples of men and women who were sure of what they hoped for (the promises given to them by God) and certain of what they could not see (the future that God had for them). They didn’t look to circumstances or allow their fears to rule their thoughts, but unwaveringly looked to God and trusted His promises.
These great promises in God’s Word apply not only to these amazing men and women, but to every one of us. The same Amazing God who resurrected Jesus Christ from the dead offers that same power to work in our lives every day. It just requires faith.
When circumstances seem bleak and what you see tells you that it is impossible, remember…this is a great opportunity for faith to be put into action. We can be sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see – then we can see the mighty hand of God work it all out for His glory and our benefit.
