Gotta Have Faith - February 1
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 61, 62; PM Psalm 68:1-20(21-23)24-36
Gen. 21:1-21; Heb. 11:13-22; John 6:41-51
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)
This quote from Hebrews is one that I hear people rehearse when talking about faith, that amorphous thing that tethers us to God. The writer of Hebrews is trying to inspire and ground the audience in faithful living, despite the distractions around them. And so, we hear these words: Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. In other words, faith is being steady and committed to God, trusting in the promise ahead. Faith is seeing proof in the invisible.
Can you imagine that there are days that faith in God is hard to sell? Building trust and endurance take practice. When pieces of life keep crumbling, one by one, three by three, it is no surprise that faith feels like it is on backorder, like puffy jackets from L. L. Bean.
The writer of Hebrews knows this all too well. In the rallying words of this sermon, we hear and see rhetorical devices to keep us engaged. Presented for us, case by case, is a parade of those who have been faithful to God, when hope was scarce, and the options appeared dim. Each player is introduced with the phrase “by faith” and is known as a pillar of deep commitment to God in challenging times. By faith, Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice. By faith Noah warned by God, respected that warning and built an ark. By faith, Abraham obeyed when God called him to move to a new place not yet known or revealed to him. By faith, Sarah received the power of procreation, bearing a child – Isaac – when she thought she was too old to do so.
As today’s excerpt from Hebrews opens, each of these people died before seeing the result assured by Jehovah, and yet, they were welcomed in the promise ahead. As this priest-directed pep talk continues, these faithful people of Jewish yore are extolled in an interesting way: “They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.” (11:13-16) These faithful founders embraced their apart-ness, not quite fitting in with the norms and times around them. They knew that they were called in the right now, with their eyes and hearts focused on what was ahead, with God’s help and healing.
These words of inspiration for churches in the years following Jesus can be a source of encouragement for us today. Each of us has a different relationship with God and describes our faith differently. When we share stories of hardship, prayers answered and unanswered, and listen to the testimonies of others who follow the way of Jesus, we see God around us, and acting in one another’s lives. Faith can become a little more clearly defined in our eyes. And perhaps, each of us can state our own verse to be written in the continuing letter to the Hebrews, naming how we lived faithfully in God, with determination and steadiness, by faith.
-- Katherine+
Questions for Reflection
How do you talk about your faith?
What does faithfulness to God look like for you?
Daily Challenge
In Hebrews 11, we read about the faithful pillars of our faith living as outsiders. Think about times when you have felt like a stranger or foreigner. How does that challenge you today? Ponder in prayer and journal for fifteen minutes about where God is calling you to be an outsider because of your faith.