11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen.
2 Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval.
Hebrews 11:1-2
This month we are looking at Hebrews 11. Paul reviews the heroes and heroines of old whom we think of as the saints that laid the foundations of our religious system. I like the way The Message puts it in simpler English:
11 1-2 The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.
We talk about faith but what does it really mean? We will see the people listed were not perfect but through their trials and hardships, they learned to trust God, a God they could not see, for a future that was yet to arrive. If we sneak a peek at verse 16 we see that “they desire(d) a better country, that is, a heavenly one” that they believed God would bring about. None lived to see that place in this world. Paul starts chapter 12 by reminding us that we are surround by people, “a crowd of saints,” that believe in a God who can bring about a better future.
So how would you describe faith? You might read John 20:24-29. The disciple Thomas, after the resurrection, had trouble believing that Jesus was really alive, really did what he said he was going to do. Jesus did not ridicule Thomas’ doubt but appeared and challenged him and then said blessed are we who believe without seeing. Believing the promises of a God we do not see to give us a future we have yet to receive, we shall see is the basis of faith of ancestral heroes and heroines. It is the foundation of hope. What do you believe? Thank God that he can bring it to reality in the best possible way.
On the Way to Wonder 