When I was a kid, I used to love going to Home Depot to pick out flower seeds so that I could plant a marigold or something like that. I’m a pretty impatient person, so imagine me waiting to see if this plant will grow. I knew I had planted the seeds, watered it regularly, and put it in correct sunlight. I knew that eventually it would grow, but it took a while to see the final result.
I guess faith is like that sometimes, isn’t it?
A couple months ago, I read through the book of Hebrews. One chapter that really stuck out to me was eleven. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as the reality of what is hoped for, and the proof of what is not seen. This entire chapter basically goes through events in the Bible where people were promised things or delivered by God if they put complete faith and trust in Him.
The word “faith” is mentioned 26 times in this chapter, and the phrase “by faith” is mentioned 21 times. “By faith,” these people found the strength to do these things. I often wonder what it would be like if we were as faithful as they were. It’s difficult to put faith in things we can’t see. But really, what’s holding you back from it? Do you really think that the Man who made the sun can’t get you through college? or provide for you? or give you peace?
Having faith in God doesn’t mean that everything will magically start going right one day. It means that you trust that in God’s timing, you will be rewarded for your faithfulness. It may be in ways you never expected, but it will all just be part of His greater plan for us. We can’t do this alone, so we may as well stop acting like it. If you’re not putting your faith in God, what are you putting your faith in?
Here’s the thing: a lot of the people mentioned in this chapter didn’t live long enough to see the promises be fulfilled, yet they still had faith. They trusted that God would provide. This is the ultimate act of faith, knowing that you might not see the end result, but you still do it anyways. Would you still have faith? We aren’t required to understand everything that God does, but we are called to be obedient despite that. When we are faithless, He is faithful. Always.
