Hebrews 11 is often known as the Faith chapter and it’s opening line says: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
If we look up the word Faith in any dictionary, we will read that it means to trust, to believe and to be confident in something or someone, without complete proof or evidence.
Faith can be a deeply personal subject and if I were to ask everyone here today what faith is to you, each of you would give a different response. We all read the same Bible. We all believe in the same God but – each life is different. Our life experiences are different. Our challenges are different.
2017 was a difficult year for me – for Norm and our family. I had suffered from severe back pain for months. During that time, I was only able to walk using Canadian crutches.
I started to lose the feeling in both legs – especially my right leg below the knee. For many years until that time, I had to wear a lower leg splint.
‘A drop foot’ doctors had said. Cause – unknown.
At times it was easier to just stay in bed… only the pain didn’t ease. We sought medical advice from the best doctors and we sought prayers for healing from many.
I needed a miracle.
There were a few favourite Bible verses I hung onto during the bleakest days and sleepless nights.
Verses like:
Psalm 41:3 – “The Lord sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness.”
2 Corinthians 5:7 – “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
I focused on walking by faith – Literally.
With Norm working most days, and no family nearby, my life was lonely and I was always in pain. However, I had always believed, and still do, that life without faith in God the Father, would be no life at all.
We all know the verses in John’s Gospel when Thomas was told of the good news of Christ’s resurrection, and how he doubted the news by saying: “Unless I see … I will not believe.”
In this instance, Thomas had to see what seem to be impossible to believe it.
Matthew 17:20 tells us that if we have faith as small as a mustard seed nothing will be impossible for us.
I needed to believe I would walk again before I was healed – not the other way round.
That wasn’t an easy thing to do. My surgeon, well actually, there were three surgeons, in the theatre that day in October 2017. They told me that they could take the pain away but I may not walk again. But focusing on “Jehovah-Rapha” which means, “The Lord Who Heals” – I found myself at peace. Then, surrendered to the effects of general anaesthetic.
As you can see, I came through that surgery – plus another surgery a week later, followed by weeks of intense rehabilitation so I could stand before you today.
I truly believe that faith – and prayer carried me through.
Each one of us have different responses on the topic of faith. Each of us will have a different testimony of how faith brought us through an illness, a financial crisis, a family situation or a life changing decision that needed to be made; even through times we grieve.
Let’s move on to verse 8 of Hebrews 11.
“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”.
This verse highlights Abraham’s obedience to God’s call, even without knowing the destination, he demonstrated a profound trust in God’s promises.
Abraham is presented in the New Testament as: “the outstanding example of those who live by faith”.
Abraham is an essential figure revered as the patriarch of the Israelites and the father of the faithful. But, did you know that Abraham’s faith is not only vital to the Christian faith but also to Jewish and Islamic traditions?
If we look back into the book of Genises, we see that Abraham was called by God to leave his homeland and journey to Canaan, where he established a covenant with God, who promised him descendants and ‘a land’.
That is clear evidence to Abraham’s deep faith.
The promises were significant which involved a vast multitude of descendants and a land that was already inhabited. Yet, Abraham believed and obeyed God’s commands, even before seeing the fulfillment of those promises.
And let’s not forget Sarah.
Verse 11 says: “And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because sheconsidered him (God) faithful, who had made the promise.”
Sarah’s faith in God’s promises is an influential illustration of trusting in God’s faithfulness – even when circumstances seemed impossible. Remembering that initially, Sarah doubted God’s promise to give her a son in her old age, and even laughed at the idea, she later demonstrated faith and received strength to conceive. This suggests a change in her faith.
If I’m to be completely honest, there have been situations and times in my life that I have doubted and experienced fear – just like the time when I faced back surgeries, or times when I had been wronged or treated unfairly – or when faced with disappointments.
Sarah would have experienced fear, doubt and uncertainty during the upheaval of moving to another land, living in tents along the way AND – to discover she was to have a child in her old age.
Sarah’s journey not only was a lesson for her, but for me as well.
And so, as stated in verse 12, and paraphrased by me – from this one old man, approaching his 100th birthday and – as good as dead at the time the promises were made to him, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.”
Now that’s faith!
It’s interesting to note that in verse 13 we read that all the people mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11 were still living ‘by’ faith when they died and not having received the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance…”
This illustrates that we need to believe in God’s promises, even if they don’t immediately occur. It means having a firm faith and trust in God’s character and timing.
Faith involves actively choosing to believe, even when situations seem to contradict God’s promises, and to recognize that His ways are higher than our own. – We need to believe in God’s promises regardless of their outcomes.
In those long months of 2017, often pain drove me to tears – and yes – sometimes to fear.
Sometimes I couldn’t even pray for myself. But I didn’t have to. Others prayed.
Trusted prayer warriors kept up their vigil. I just needed to believe that the Great Physician would carry me through. Faith was the key to surviving that challenge. For me, and for Norm.
Without faith, I’m nothing. Faith is a part of me, the hope of my salvation, all that I live for and all that I do.
Life is not an easy road for any of us and… it’s not perfect, but believing God’s promises gives us hope.
I will continue to face difficult situations that may be painful, challenging and yes, even at times fearful, but faith in the Father is not an option. It’s a necessity.
Living by faith is a way of life.
Life is living by faith.
Faith is believing the unseen promises given to us by God.
What Faith is not, is needing to see His promises fulfilled before we believe.
Lord God, help us to grow in our understanding and practice of our faith. May your Holy Spirit give guidance and strength to overcome challenges we all face. Give us courage to trust your promises, even when they seem impossible. Help us always to seek strength from you to continue in our faith and keep our eyes on your promises. – Amen
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Riverside Peace 