It is often said that faith is blind! You may even have felt this way before in conversation. The one who believes in God [Christ] and the thing of God has a different type of faith. For him, faith is seen as "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." [Heb 11:1]. What exactly would a son of God mean by these sayings -"The substance of things hoped for?" furthermore " the evidence of things not seen!"
Let me share my story with you my dearest reader. For many years this verse of the holy scripture has been used, even by me, without a solid grounding of the importance of the statement. Having such a statement is generally a good thing, but the solid understanding of the word is a power that is only given by God himself to us humans.
To begin let us look at where our [the children of God] faith comes from. Accordingly the book of Roman provides guidance to this question. "Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ" [Roman 10:17]
So the spark of faith starts with One reading/studying/listening the words of God from the holy scripture. Of course it is a gift of God... Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,"
Please note as will all gifts from God, He who is willing to accept, is the one who will benefit from this gift. There are many who will reject this gift, we pray for them.
Thus in sum our faith come from God.
"The substance of things hoped for?" Are you looking forward for a future event? The birth of a child, the marriage of a daughter, the big event of your life? Life has many events that we anxiously await, and this what Life is, the gift of life is exciting and ALIVE! However, there is no greater time we look forward to as the soon coming of the Lord, Our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Whatever the event, we anticipate thing that are not seen, even before they happen.! We look forward, into the future with hopeful eyes. Why do we behave as such for future events, why do we hope to see that big day. Well let's look at the evidence of things not seen.
Can one look back in history or time to past events and gain strength for the future? I believe that with our God we are told to strengthen our faith by reading and studying the scriptures. Now I have not been alive in the days of Noah, I did not see the great flood, neither did I see Daniel sleeping amist the Lions or David defeating the giant Goliath. However, the Word that give lifes has left these events as EVIDENCE for me.
I can look back and gain strength for my faith!
When we by the graces and mercies of God, overcome in faith the many trials of this life. Aren't we not being our confidence in our All Powerful counsellor and Friend? Does our faith dwindle when we know that our God has been with us, carrying us in time when we can't even move?
It is those times my friend that we build on the past knowing full well that we while weak and feeble, is carried and supported fully well by the All Faithful God. We look back when the new days comes, know that we are not living amist a world of "seen" but a world that the "unseen" God is more evident in our lives than ever before.
We thus gain our measures of faith by our walk with God, and the substance of things hoped for becomes even clearer, while yet in the distance. It is now we can say Thank God Evermore. " We live by faith, not by sight." [2 Cor 5:7]
God has left us with much evidence of both his existence, and continual working in our lives. Of course with all thing we are free to choose. Choose well, Choose Life.
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