Hebrews11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Faith. The scriptural definition reveals faith isn’t about what we see. In fact, as I’ve written previously, it’s based on what we don’t see with our physical eyes. And the eleventh chapter of Hebrews lists some who walked in it to show us how it’s done. They met the challenges before them with the assurance that the unseen things they hoped for would someday be realized. They serve as examples for us right here in the twenty-first century. Examples like Abel.
God accepted Abel’s sacrifice over Cain’s, not because he liked animals more than vegetables, but because Abel offered his sacrifice with faith. I can’t help but think of how many of us engage in more Cain-like sacrifices than Abel-like ones. We look at our very visible sacrifices and think we somehow deserve for God to answer our prayers. But we can deny ourselves till the cows come home. Without faith, it’s impossible to please him (Hebrews 11:16). He cares more about why we do what we do, than what.
Noah feared the unseen God more than the acceptance and admiration of men. It meant being subject to ridicule and mocking, but he built the ark anyway. He built it before he saw a drop of rain or a cloudy thunderhead. He built it in faith, based totally on what God told him to do. And he didn’t compromise his faith with the desire to look reasonable and sensible. Neither should we.
And of course, Abraham, the father of our faith. If anyone illustrates faith, it’s Abraham. He didn’t even know where he was going, for goodness’ sake. But he started out because of what he heard God say, not because he saw the promised land, or had an inkling of how to get there. God’s word proved enough. It always does.
These patriarchs didn’t waste time staring at what they saw. They focused all their energy on the unseen reality of the word of God. They understood faith is a hearing, not seeing, enterprise (Romans 10:17).
So let’s listen to God’s word. Let it draw us to faith. In whatever you are facing, don’t move solely on what you see. Rest on the greatest certainty in the universe. The unseen reality of God.