Hebrews 11:1 – Faith

“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Does this statement about faith help you understand what faith is all about? When faced with a difficult situation, we often find ourselves saying, “Just have faith.” What does that even mean? Faith in what? If we cling to this verse when we’re in those tight spots, our hope is certainly to be released from that bondage or be freed from that struggle.

Context: Chapter 11 of Hebrews is full of examples of faithful people, heroes from the pages of Scripture. The author of Hebrews shows us exactly how their faith was revealed. By reflecting on their successes and interactions with God, we can get a better glimpse of what having faith in God looks like. It was “by faith” those regular people accomplished some amazing things.

None of us like to be stuck or feel hopeless. Faith is the remedy we can turn to. Faith can’t be measured or counted. You either have it or you don’t. When we walk by faith in God, we allow ourselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit’s power.

The “hope” referred to here is more than just wishful thinking. When we place our hope in God, our faith gives us the confidence God will move. Faith is so much more than trusting in our hopes and dreams. Faith grounds us and gives us purpose.

Trusting in what we cannot see defines our faith journey. Think of the things you cannot see but know they’re there. God is our obvious answer, but there is also wind, gravity, or radio waves. We can use our senses to encounter those other phenomena. But don’t we also use our senses to grow our faith in God? We use our eyes to read his Word, we use our mouths to share our testimony, we smell the delights of God’s creation, especially in the springtime. We know God exists by faith, our belief in something we cannot see and sometimes can’t even feel.

When we do feel God and sense his presence in our life, our faith meter tends to rise. Being in communion with God on a regular basis is the best way I know for keeping the faith meter high. Otherwise, when we look to the lies being spewn about freely in society today, we can quickly lose focus on God’s perfect will and his desire and provision of abundance in our lives.

I think of the heroes of faith spoken of in this chapter. People like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah all trusted in God. They put their faith in him, even before they understood the full extent of God’s blessing for them. They show us how they can live boldly when trusting in God’s promises.

I can’t help but look at Abraham and Sarah and see my husband David and me. We moved away from our “homeland,” on faith, not knowing what God had next for us. Our faith journey has brought us to this moment, and I have to say I never saw this coming. Living in Mexico, using my Spanish as best as I can, but in a mission to share Jesus with others in a couple of different ways. Life is good. God knew that this would be the perfect season for us. We trusted he knew best.

It is my prayer for you that you grow in your faith. You’ll enjoy the confident hope we have as believers knowing God is going to move. Don’t be discouraged if he doesn’t move on your time schedule. That’s been my biggest faith learning curve challenge. Patience and rest are both gifts I need to do a better job at receiving. What are your faith growing pains?

Let’s pray. Lord, thank you for each provision, big and small, in my life. I love the confident hope I feel knowing you are right there. I don’t need to see you to cherish each moment we spend together. May I do a better job of resting in you. Help me to not let life circumstances get in the way of my trust in you. Even through the struggles of life, my patience grows in waiting for your perfect timing. When I feel weak, strengthen me so I can carry your message of love into the world. May everything I say and do be honoring to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.