Faith fascinates me. More fascinating is the lineup of Biblical personalities in Hebrews chapter 11. This chapter summarizes ordinary people who overcame obstacles and gained divine approval for their faith in God.
Several scriptures in this chapter are introduced with the phrase “by faith” or “through faith.” Then the scriptures offer some insight on the accomplishments that named these Biblical characters among “so great a cloud of witnesses,” Hebrews 12:1.
Most of the time the emphasis in Hebrews 11 is on verses 1, 5 or 6. Recently, I looked closer at verse 3 which reads, “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made (accomplished – my interpretation) out of what was visible.” Abraham, Sarah, Noah, Moses, Joseph and many more accomplished the extraordinary because they dared to trust God. They set their sights on the impossible while facing contradictory circumstances and shameful consequences.
Noah’s Faith
Take Noah for instance (verse 7). He prepared for the flood in every way God instructed. For years, he built the ark. In the meantime, there was no rain. In fact, 120 years passed before the floods came. He was ridiculed because to others he looked awfully ridiculous. But Noah would not let the doubts of others, the wickedness of the culture or the pressure of being among a small company of righteous people sway, intimidate or influence him to stop believing what God told him.
If Noah were a contemporary, he would probably be publicly mocked “It’s going to rain? Yeah. Right.” Well, it rained and the floodwaters destroyed the earth and its inhabitants — except Noah, his family and a pair of multiple animals.
Joseph’s Faith
Consider Joseph (verse 22). He grew up with 11 unsupportive siblings. As a young teen, his brothers envied him. They conspired to murder him but that did not pan out. However, they threw him into a deep pit. Slave traders came along and the brothers sold him into slavery. Joseph, now a 17-year old slave was wrongly accused and imprisoned on false attempted sex-related allegations from the slaveowner’s wife.
None of this thwarted God’s divine plan and appointment for Joseph. Eventually, he rose to become the governor of Egypt. He was second in command to the Egyptian king. From a despised brother, to a slave for 11 years, to a two-year convict to governor is obviously not your average career path. Nevertheless, Joseph remained faithful to God despite his troubles. And while in his troubles he made the most of his opportunities.
That is typical of Biblical faith. It audaciously bewilders, baffles and completely alters the outcome of circumstances that are threatening and consequences unpredictable.
Our Faith
God’s greatness is revealed when we put our faith in Him. We all have faith. That’s not the issue. It is the object of our faith that matters. Without sounding judgmental, I am afraid much of what we hear today is about a faith in what we already know. It is not the type of Biblical faith that is defined by the “hoped for substance” or “unseen evidence,” (Hebrews 11:1).
Instead, our familiar faith dares anyone, any experience or circumstance to frustrate its comfort level. We are comfortable in what we know about God and what He will do based on past experiences. After all, we have evidence. When facing unchartered experiences, though, we would rather fight to maintain our faith comfort levels, relying on what we already know. We go out all to maintain the level of faith we have. It is hard to view new experiences as opportunities to discover more about God, what He can and will do. God has a proven track record of promises come to pass in our own lives. Yet, we often fail to see those experiences as fuel to drive our faith beyond the familiar.
So, I am highlighting Jeremiah 33:3 because it is an invitation, promise and challenge to demonstrate faith that yields results beyond the familiar — “Call unto me (invitation) and I will answer you and show you great and unsearchable things (promises) that you do not know,” (challenge beyond the familiar).
The bottom line is this. Whenever we willfully accept God’s invitation, position ourselves to experience His promises and new, greater faith realities, we will be fascinated seeing how much more God loves and cares for us.
We will know what it is like to live with fascinating faith that transcends familiar faith.
Until next time, keep the faith.