read through Hebrews 10:26-11:12

The Bible, a story of creation, a descent into sin, eventual punishment, then reward, prophecy, then the coming of a savior, is our story. And it’s not just a story. It’s the thread by which we knit our lives. In this, we can have confidence to live out our lives in the truth and knowledge that God is the center and the source of our eternal hope.

This story starts and ends with promises, to Adam and Eve, then to Abraham, then to us. God’s initial promise to Adam was that he should “be fruitful and multiply” and God would make him ruler of the earth, holding precedence over all the other living things in creation. But as we know, man slipped out of favor with God by disobedience. Then, to Abraham, God’s promise was that his progeny would expand across the earth, making Abraham’s descendants great among the nations. Much of the rest of the Old Testament tells of the ebb-and-flow relationship between God and his people, as they were sometimes faithful and at other times, unfaithful to their end of the bargain: that they would abide by the law and not worship any other idols.

Some critics have attempted to point out that, though Israel did not always keep her promise to God, neither did God, who allowed his nation to fall into slavery and be conquered by foreign nations time and again. But this is not where our confidence should waver, for God’s promise was contingent on the people being faithful, and if they weren’t faithful, he said strife would follow. That was also a promise.

But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings … For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one. Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. (v 32-35)

Just as Sarah laughed at God when he told her she would conceive of a child in old age and just as Gideon’s men surely were astounded when God told Gideon to send away all but 300 men — the very ones who were afraid — and defeat the thousands of troops in the camp with only trumpets, pitchers, and torches, we too sometimes become disillusioned, fearful or doubtful about the future and what God has planned. While God may be audibly silent, his word to us is not. These verses remind us to remember all God has done for us, and this should be our response in good times and bad, for God’s promises are tried and tested, enduring, and irrevocable. But remembering instances in the past where God has come through for us is only the beginning, and faith is the end.

While there will surely be bright days in our lives, there will also be dark days, and our memory will only carry us so far. Our faith, which the Bible calls the “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,” will take us the rest of the way and help us to finish the race, having lived a life wholly, not partly, but wholly devoted to God and his precepts.

application

Read through carefully through Hebrews 11:3-12 again, taking note of the many examples the Bible provides of people having faith in God and God coming through for them, showing up at critical times to fulfill what he said he would do for them. In the end, God always shows up. The question he asks: Will you?