August 5, 2021 — A Study on the Book of Hebrews

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised landlike a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.” Hebrews 11:1-12

“In our Scripture reading for today, the writer of Hebrews talks about what Abraham and Sarah had to let go. They let go of their home, extended family, and community when God called them to leave and travel to the land he would show them (see Genesis 12). Abraham was also willing to let go of his son Isaac, the promised son born to him and Sarah in their old age. They did all this “by faith”—and faith is a learning process. Just as parents get used to letting go as their children begin to grow up in life, so we too learn to let go of things in our lives as we trust God to guide us day by day.” (todaydevotional.com, Hebrews 11)

“Many Christians grow disillusioned in their Christian lives because God does not conform to their wills.” It is hard to understand that faith in Christ, belief in G-d does not mean that we get what we want. Yes we have faith that Christ died for our sins, and raised Lazarus to life after having been in the tomb for four days. We believe that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. But this does not mean that having strong faith will keep our loved ones from dying in tragic ways – even in mundane ways. Some experience miracles, some do not – the why’s and the how’s and the where’s will be known when we die.

But because some experience divine intervention and others do not in no way makes any inference to stronger faith. We trust that G-d hears our prayers, and we believe that Jesus loves us beyond all measure. Perhaps it is not that we have not experienced divine intervention; perhaps we have not discerned it for what it was – placed it on the plate of fate or happen-stance rather than on G-d’s direct mercy.

We are to conform our wills to G-d’s, our lives to Christ – and to trust that G-d is with us always.

Pastor Dave