Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.
(Hebrews 11:1 NLT)
I love Hebrews 11 and have written about it many times (See Faith! A Mini-Series). Nonetheless, whenever I re-read Hebrews 11, I always feel a little unsettled. I mean, my list of “faith-failures” is far longer than the very short list of times I’ve actually taken steps in faith. I would never be able to have the kind of faith that I we read about in Hebrews 11…
Take verse 7, for example: “It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood.” (NLT). I can tell you right now that if I had been given a task that is completely out of my skill set; if I had never even heard of the thing I’m supposed to be saving my family from; if I had even the smallest little bit of opposition, that ark would never have been built!
Another classic example is found in verse 8: “It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.” (NLT). What? Leave my home? My family? When I don’t even know where I’m going? I’m afraid if I had been Abraham, the kingdom of Israel would never have come to be.
Then there are verses 20-22: “It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau. It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff. It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left.” (NLT). I typically don’t put enough confidence in my ability to hear God’s voice to be able to—prophesy! But then, maybe it isn’t me I’m doubting. Maybe I am really doubting God’s ability to speak to me in a way I can understand!
I was busy telling God how much I wanted to increase my faith like those showcased in Hebrews 11 when my mind was immediately flooded with multiple Biblical stories of these same people from Hebrews 11.
Take Noah. After the flood, he did not act so righteously. He fell into sin by getting drunk and becoming naked, and then he turned around and cursed his own son because he accidentally came into the tent and saw his father in this state. (See Genesis 9:21-25).
And what about Abraham? There are actually 8 verses in Hebrews 11 about Abraham and Sarah. Yet didn’t Abraham have his moments of doubt? Isn’t this why he agreed to sleep with Sarah’s Egyptian slave, Hagar (See Genesis 16)? And What about when he lied to the king of Egypt, saying that Sarah was his sister? And then, he turned around and did the exact same thing to King Abimelech of Gerar (See Genesis 12:10-20; Genesis 20:1-18)!
Isaac also lied about Rebeccah being his wife (See Genesis 26:7), and Jacob was a deceiver, who tried to trick his way into the blessing that God had already promised him (See Genesis 25:29-34; Genesis 27:1-40)!
Don’t you just love how the Bible tells the good, the bad and the ugly? However, although the Bible does tell the whole story, Hebrews 11 does not! All of these heroes of faith were flesh and blood human beings, just like you and I! They had their weak moments, just like we do! Yet it is only their victories we find showcased in the faith chapter!
Why is this?
Because of the truth of Isaiah 43:25: ““I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” (NIV)!
Isn’t this beautiful?
God knows we will have moments of weak faith, yet it is only the moments when we succeed in taking that stand in faith that He remembers! Yes, I fail to stand in faith more than I succeed, but God is so pleased with the times that I succeed, that He wipes out the failures! Wow! What a loving God we serve!
I think I will be reading Hebrews 11 from a totally different perspective from now on… And without the spirit of self-condemnation, perhaps it will be much easier to actually succeed!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderator, Acting Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries