Seeing by Faith / ODB

 

Seeing by Faith Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 READ Hebrews 11:1–8 During my morning walk, the sun hit the waters of Lake Michigan at a perfect angle to produce a stunning view. I asked my friend to stop and wait for me as I positioned my camera to take a pic. Because of the position of the sun, I couldn’t see the image on my phone’s screen before I snapped the shot. But having done this before, I sensed it would be a great picture. I told my friend, “We can’t see it now, but pictures like this always come out good.” Walking by faith through this life is often like taking that picture. You can’t always see the details on the screen, but that doesn’t mean the stunning picture isn’t there. You don’t always see God working, but you can trust that He’s there. As the writer of Hebrews penned, “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (11:1). By faith we place our confidence and assurance in God—especially when we can’t see or understand what He’s doing. With faith, not seeing doesn’t prevent us from “taking the shot.” It just might make us pray more and seek God’s direction. We can also rely on knowing what’s happened in the past as others have walked by faith (vv. 4–12) as well as through our own stories. What God has done before, He can do again. By Katara Patton What are you trusting God to do even though you may not see it clearly right now? How has He delivered you or your family in the past? Heavenly Father, thank You for all the ways You’ve provided for me in the past. Help me to walk by faith even if I can’t see all You’re doing.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT The book of Hebrews was written to encourage Jewish believers in Jesus who were facing persecution (Hebrews 10:32–35) and were thus in danger of drifting away and reverting back to Judaism. The unnamed author encouraged them to live by faith and to persevere (vv. 36–39) and explained what living by faith means (11:1). The author listed examples of many people who’d lived by such faith to illustrate that this is the only way to please God: “Anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (v. 6). These faithful believers trusted God despite their adverse circumstances and the disappointment of not yet “[receiving] what had been promised” (v. 39). K. T. Sim