BY FAITH

HEBREWS 11:1-3 NKJV 
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. 
3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. 

OBSERVATION: 

This chapter is known as the hall of fame of faith. It gives an overview of the men and women who trusted in God through the years. This chapter also serves as a reminder that God's people are people of faith. And to people who were struggling with pressures and persecution, the reminder to live by faith was particularly important.   

In verse one, the author gives a definition of what faith looks like. I like an alternative translation for the sake of clarity. Now faith means we are confident of what we expect, convinced of what we do not see. This has helped me understand that faith deals with things I cannot feel or see. If I can feel or see, I don't need faith. And faith has an expectation to it. Because I believe in what I don't see or feel yet, I am expecting.   

When Joy called me to come look at a home pregnancy test, I was surprised. The doctor later confirmed what the test had shown. We were expecting. Joy looked no different, but the tests said otherwise, so we were expecting. That is very similar to how faith works. We receive and believe God's word to us, so we are expecting, and our expectation is not based on anything we see or feel.   

By faith, the Old Testament men and women obtained a good testimony. Because they believed God, they gained approval for their actions.   

By faith, we understand. This verse is a great one for explaining how the world was created. We choose to believe God is the creator of the heavens and the earth and that He created by speaking. We can only grasp this by faith, not reason or logic.   

But we believe that the things we can see around us, the physical universe, was made from what is not visible. This verse did not say that things that are seen were made of nothing. Just that they were made from what we cannot see.  

So, by faith, we believe and understand that there is a realm that exists that we can not see. There is a spiritual realm. And despite not being able to see it, we believe it is every bit as real as the realm we can see and touch.   

Science demands proof. Faith believes before proof is evident.   

This is how we live. This is how men and women have connected with the living God for thousands of years.   

 
PRAYER: 

Father, I believe You are real. I don't have to see. I don't have to feel.