Last night I laid down for bed and opened up my bible to Hebrews. This is the book of the Bible I have been working through lately. I got to Hebrews 11 which is all about Faith. Now, I had never read all the way through Hebrews so this was my first time reading this passage. About half way through I had to go back and re-read the first part. I did this not because I was not understanding what was being talked about, which is usually the case, I did it because I was so excited about what was going on. Hebrews 11 is basically an overview of all the people in the Bible who have acted simply out of Faith. Since we are learning about being Weird at church because normal isn't working, I felt like God had led me to my own personal study on this topic.
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see-Hebrews 11:1
That is the opening line of Hebrews 11. The rest simply states all the ancients who have done just that. When Noah was asked to build the ark, he couldn't have been certain that God would save his family, but he had faith. When Abraham was asked to pick up and take his life to a new city, he wasn't sure what would happen but he acted in faith. Moses' family had no idea what would come of Moses when they hid him for 3 months, but they acted in faith. Then it says in Hebrews 11:32-34
"and what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jepthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies"
When I read that I understood it as, "I have just given you 17 clear examples of people who lived by faith alone, how many more do you need to believe? How many times do I have to prove to you that I am the living God that can conquer all because I created it all?" I went back to Hebrews 11:3; "by faith we understand the Universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what is visible."
And that's enough. That is all I needed to know I can make it through the day. That is what I needed to know that I can get through my struggles, but I can't do it alone. By faith I will walk through my day knowing that my strength is not enough to handle the burdens of this world, but with God, the commander of the Universe, I am able and I will conquer.
Here is the kicker though. It states in Hebrews 11:13-15; "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had the opportunity to return." That is profound. This is how I translate that. These people are walking through this world, thinking only of their Heavenly future which is why they are doing the "crazy" things that so many others do not understand. They are walking in faith because they know that if even for a second they begin to think that they were made for this world and able to do it on their own, they will have ample opportunity to return. They were not made for this world, but if their sights are set on it rather than on the heavenly city they WERE created for, it can be so easy to return.
I praise God for living examples of what it means to walk in faith and act in faith in the Bible. I am glad there were others that understand that trading the immediate for the ultimate is more than enough reason to believe, have faith and be WEIRD.
"Instead they were longing for a better country-a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them"-Hebrews 11:16
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