You probably have Hebrews 11:1 memorized. It is one of those verses that is on pretty much everyone’s list of must know verses. The chapter is known as the Faith Hall of Fame. We just finished studying it in our Tuesday morning study. Truth be told I spent an extra week on the chapter, I forgot that we moved on to chapters 12 – 13.
This time through I noticed something I had not seen in previous studies. The phrase “things not seen” or that concept is repeated at least six times in the chapter, see Hebrews 11:1, 3, 7, 13, 27, 39. The way I count that the idea is explicitly mentioned 4 times and implicitly 2 times.
To repeat this idea so many times in the passage reinforces that faith is acting on what we do not see. Essentially it means that we trust God with what He has revealed to us, even though we cannot see how in the name of all that is Holy what He has said is going to be done. Regardless, we trust.
I am facing one of those times now. I am working on a project that is not coming together. I am relatively sure that the Lord has directed me to do this. But in the past few days there has been a continual stream of wrenches thrown into the gears.
If my understanding of this passage is correct, and it is the case that the Lord is directing, it is not my job to figure out how to make it all work. That, by the way, is my default position. Rather, my job, my assignment, my task is to trust God for what I do not see.
None of the flying wrenches took Him by surprise anyway. I just need to have faith in the unseen. For me that is not an easy assignment.
To repeat this idea so many times in the passage reinforces that faith is acting on what we do not see. Essentially it means that we trust God with what He has revealed to us, even though we cannot see how in the name of all that is Holy what He has said is going to be done. Regardless, we trust.
I am facing one of those times now. I am working on a project that is not coming together. I am relatively sure that the Lord has directed me to do this. But in the past few days there has been a continual stream of wrenches thrown into the gears.
If my understanding of this passage is correct, and it is the case that the Lord is directing, it is not my job to figure out how to make it all work. That, by the way, is my default position. Rather, my job, my assignment, my task is to trust God for what I do not see.
None of the flying wrenches took Him by surprise anyway. I just need to have faith in the unseen. For me that is not an easy assignment.
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