Faith


A precious young friend and former student made a request on Facebook today asking folks to post verses about "faith".  Her request sent me immediately to Hebrews 11...the "Hall of Fame of Faith".  But as I read it for the umpteenth time, I found I wanted to really look at something.  There's a wonderful list of things that we gain through faith...and I wanted to see that actual list.  No wonder we are empowered as Christians!  Look at the incredible gifts that God pours out on us through His Holy Spirit because we step out in faith and believe in Jesus Christ and his death for payment of our sins...and His new life that gives us hope.  Here is the list of "gains" that come our way through faith...at least this one chapter of the Bible.  Here is the bulleted list I excavated from this chapter:

• Gives hope
• Gives assurance
• Gives understanding about creation
• Allows us to give better offerings
• Gives righteousness
• Lets us live on through testimony after death
• Allows us to not die
• Gives us the ability to please God
• Gives rewards if we earnestly seek Him
• Will help us to act when God calls for action
• Helps us step out and go where God wants us to go
• Give us assurance of an eternal home
• Helps us remember His faithfulness and promises
• Helps God not to be ashamed of ud
• Makes us willing to sacrifice
• Brings blessings
• Helps us to worship
• Helps us to remember God’s faithfulness
• Gives wisdom and erases fear
• Helps us escape the fleeting pleasures of sin
• Gives us the strength to persevere
• Will help us do what doesn’t make sense
• Helps us get through impossible situations
• Knocks down impenetrable walls
• Saves our lives
• Conquers kingdoms
• Administers justice
• Gains what’s promised
• Shuts the mouths of enemies
• Cools the flames of fury
• Helps us escape death
• Turns weakness to strength
• Strengthens our families
• Routs foreign armies
• Gain a better resurrection
• Helps us gain COMMENDATION

I then hit the last couple of verses of the chapter and saw something I'd never paid attention to before.  None of the people who are listed in that chapter and commended for their faith ever saw what they hoped for come true.  I did know that.  But then the Scripture says something that suddenly opened my eyes.  SOMETIMES GOD WAITS TO ANSWER OUR ACT OF FAITH BECAUSE HE WANTS TO SHARE IN THAT ANSWER WITH US.  He wants us to be in His Presence when we see our prayer answered...when we see our faith become sight!  I love, love, love Hebrews 11:39-40:  "³⁹These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, ⁴⁰ since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect."

Do you see that?  Perfection comes when He's together with us!  Can you wait for perfection or do you demand that the God of this universe meet *your* requirements for proving Who He is?

So many truths of Who He is and what He's doing in our lives lie in His Word.  Thank you, Rachelle Heffner, for sending me hunting and digging today.  I love when that happens.  I hope the rest of you reading this have friends in your life that send you digging in His Word...that's truly the best kind of friend to have!