"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation." Hebrews 11:1-2
Sometimes when I read scripture I like to look up definitions of words--even words that I know and use all the time for a fresh perspective. Assurance means promise. Conviction means firmly held belief. Commendation means praise. So much of the time through trials or challenges we are told to have faith or keep faith. I think we can be pros at letting the majesty of what a word really means slip away by throwing it out as a line of "comfort", instead of digging into what it truly means. So in other words-- faith is the promise of things hoped for, the firmly held belief of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their praise.
So what does it mean to have faith? How can we keep faith when (seemingly) everything around us is uncertain, unstable, and unsatisfying?
Hebrews 11 is flowing with story after story of people who faced extreme obstacles and still impacted The Kingdom. They're the kind of people who can leave me wondering how on earth I can ever live up to a legacy like theirs (the struggle is real with the pit of comparison). But over and over again, the passage says "By faith". And because of their faith they received praise.
And then it goes on to say this:
"These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city." Hebrews 11:13-16
Wait, what. They died not having received the things promised.
"And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect." Hebrews 11:39-40
They did not receive the gift of eternal life on this earth, therefore they died not having received the promise that is to come. Jesus is coming back and His promise stands, He just has not returned yet. They lived by faith, knowing full well that there may have been no reward in this lifetime; their faith allowed them to rest in the truth that their reward was guaranteed in the heavenly places. And because of this God is not ashamed to be called their God. AND he has prepared for them a city. This gets me excited.
So: faith--the firmly held belief of things not seen. Where does the strength come from? The confidence and the assurance?
"Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2
Jesus. Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith.
Look to Jesus! Look at Him. Fix your eyes on Him. He is our strength. He is our faith. He is our assurance of things hoped for--our firmly held belief of things not seen. He is the truth, and the way, and the life. He surrounds us and evelops us. He is seated at the right hand of the Father.
"Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us." Romans 8:34
We serve a God who is not passive but who is doing battle for us right now in the heavenly places. Jesus hears us and He is interceding for us. Fix your eyes on Jesus! By faith. Live by faith. Live by Jesus.
