Verse: Hebrew 11:1-3
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed in God’s command, so that what is seen was not make out of what was visible.
Devotion
Hebrews gives us a straightforward definition of faith. Faith is being sure of (or confident in, assurance in) what we hope for and certain of (or conviction of, proof of, assurance about) what we do not see. It was written before 70 AD so there were people still alive that had seen Jesus. They were sure that Jesus was the Messiah because they had seen him. The ancients (like Abel, Abraham, Noah) were commended for their faith in God without seeing. They believed in his promises and then they acted upon their faith.
What does this say to us? What do you hope for? Do you hope for a life that has some meaning to it? Do you hope that there is a heaven after death? Do you hope to see Jesus face to face? I do. We have not seen these things yet. So we need faith to have the confidence that they exist.
We don’t want to have blind faith. Is there evidence of God and his promises? The writer of Hebrews says we can look at the universe and see the hand of God that can create from things not visible. We can read in the Bible where God has kept his promises to his people. We can read about what Jesus said to those living 2000 years ago about why we are here, about heaven and that we will see him one day.
So how can you build your faith? For me it’s by looking back and seeing where God was guiding me. Take some time today to think about your life and reflect on the good times. Can you see the hand of God in these times or do you have faith that you created all these by yourself. Reflect on the difficult times. Can you see that God carried you through these times sustaining you and possibly growing you?
“Sure” and “certain” are pretty strong words about faith but reading about others strong faith, reading about the promises of God, and seeing how God has loved you and guided you will help build a faith toward being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see.
Prayer
Help us, Lord, to have faith in you. Help us to see your love and guidance for us so that our faith can be made stronger.
Author: Brad Dunn
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