Keeping Faith

It’s tempting to think of faith as a kind of magic formula. If you muster up enough of it, you’ll get rich, stay healthy, and live a contented life with automatic answers to all your prayers.

But life does not work according to such neat formulas. As proof, the author of Hebrews presents a stirring reminder of what constitutes “true faith” by reviewing the lives of some Old Testament giants of faith. Heb. 11.

“Without faith, it is impossible to please God.” Heb. 11:6. In describing faith we see the word persevered. Heb. 27. As a result of their faith, some heroes triumph: They rout armies, escape the sword, survive lions. But others meet less happy ends: flogging, stoning, severing. The chapter concludes, “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.” Heb. 39.

Give me a faith that trusts You wholeheartedly, Lord.
The picture of faith that emerges does not fit simply. Sometimes it leads to victory and triumph. Sometimes it requires a gritty determination to “hang on at any cost.” Of such people, “God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” Heb. 16.

What our faith rests on is the belief that God is in ultimate control and will indeed keep His promises, whether that happens in this life or the next. – Philip Yancey. Daily Bread.

Give me a faith that trusts You wholeheartedly, Lord.

Our greatest comfort in sorrow is to know that God is in control.

Hebrews 11 has been called the “Hall of Faith.” In it we read of diverse people who face trials and tribulations far beyond what many of us face. Yet all persevered by trusting the Lord. By the Grace of God, we can do the same.

 

Keeping the Faith
Billy Joel

If it seems like I’ve been lost
In let’s remember
If you think I’m feeling older
And missing my younger days
Oh, then you should have known
Me much better
Cause my past is something that never
Got in my way