Commendable Faith

Toward a New Creation
Judgment and Salvation

Assurances and Joy for the Faithful

Hebrews 11:29-40  The Message

²⁹ By an act of faith, Israel walked through the Red Sea on dry ground. The Egyptians tried it and drowned.
³⁰ By faith, the Israelites marched around the walls of Jericho for seven days, and the walls fell flat.
³¹ By an act of faith, Rahab, the Jericho harlot, welcomed the spies and escaped the destruction that came on those who refused to trust God.

^32-38 I could go on and on, but I’ve run out of time. There are so many more—Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets. . . . Through acts of faith, they toppled kingdoms, made justice work, took the promises for themselves. They were protected from lions, fires, and sword thrusts, turned disadvantage to advantage, won battles, routed alien armies. Women received their loved ones back from the dead. There were those who, under torture, refused to give in and go free, preferring something better: resurrection. Others braved abuse and whips, and, yes, chains and dungeons. We have stories of those who were stoned, sawed in two, murdered in cold blood; stories of vagrants wandering the earth in animal skins, homeless, friendless, powerless—the world didn’t deserve them!—making their way as best they could on the cruel edges of the world.

^39-40 Not one of these people, even though their lives of faith were exemplary, got their hands on what was promised. God had a better plan for us: that their faith and our faith would come together to make one completed whole, their lives of faith not complete apart from ours.

For Reflection

We live on the cruel edges of the world.   Through our faith, God will work through us to make justice work.  God will protect us.  God expects us to give our lives to God's will for human kind.  That's the kind of faith that makes a difference.  The Scriptures show God's assurances of success.  Even in times of weakness and sin, God persists to support, forgive and comfort us.

Pray

Pray so that you live your life unafraid.  Pray so that you will find refuge.  Pray so that you feel God's presence.  Pray so that you can entrust it all to God.  Pray so that you can live in hope.