Warning: This may
be a “longer” blog post, but it is
something that has really been on my heart this past month. My time so far in
Korea has been an incredible time of learning- learning so many different
things from teaching, a new culture, more about “my faith” and what it means to
be on my own for real. A little a while ago I had to put together a little devotional
for my co-workers. We each take turns each morning giving a devotional before
we start our day of teaching and ministry to our students. I had been praying
about what I should share and God kept placing Hebrews 11 on my heart. I finally
read the chapter and was overwhelmed by how many times by faith was written. I
just kept reading the chapter over and over again and the words by
faith kept repeating over and over again in my head.
By faith, By
faith, By faith, By faith, By faith, By faith, By faith, By faith, By faith!
This year has
been a very emotional year and transitional year. It has been a year where I
have experienced more joy and more pain than ever before. Things that I have
pushed aside for a long time have finally made their way to surface and things
that God has been trying to teach me for so long have finally clicked in my
stubborn head. There are many things that I wish I could change, but I am
learning that I can’t change them on my own. I need my savior, God who promises
to walk beside and help me through each change. He doesn’t want me to do it on
my own. He wants to be there- He wants me to have faith. Faith means believing
what you can’t see. Faith is amazing act of trusting and believing. Faith is
something that I want so badly, but sometimes I just struggle having that true
faith. Yes, I do have faith that Jesus Christ died for my sins and that He
loves me unconditionally. The faith I struggle in sometimes is the little
faith- the faith I need to make it through this season in my life. The kind of
faith that satisfies the deep desires of my heart that I long for someday and
so badly wish to have like being a mom. All of this to say that while reading Hebrews
11 God kept placing these questions on my heart: What I am (God) asking you to have faith in? What do you need to trust
me with by having faith?
So I challenge
you… what is God asking you to have faith
in? What is He wanting you to trust Him with? Just like I am trying to
remind myself I want to encourage you to step out in that faith and believe in
what you can’t see because it’s going to be awesome- it has to be because God
is awesome!
I have included
the whole passage of Hebrew 11 for you to read and mediate over. If you don’t
have time to read the whole chapter I challenge you to look at how times I have
bolded the word faith!
What an amazing
faithful God I serve. I am thankful that even when my faith is little He gently
expands it and shows me His amazing ways.
Hebrews 11
Now faith
is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For
by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By
faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God,
so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible
4 By faith Abel offered to
God a
more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as
righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. 5 By
faith Enoch
was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God
had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And
without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw
near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 7 By
faith Noah,
being warned by God concerning events
as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household.
By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by
faith.
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to
go out to a place that
he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was
going. 9 By
faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign
land, living
in tents with
Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For
he was looking forward to the
city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 11 By
faith Sarah
herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she
considered him
faithful
who had promised. 12 Therefore
from one man, and him
as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and
as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.
13 These all died in
faith, not having received the things
promised, but having
seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For
people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If
they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to
return. 16 But
as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God
is not ashamed to
be called their God, for he
has prepared for them a city.
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered
up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his
only son, 18 of
whom it was said, “Through
Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He
considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which,
figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. 20 By
faith Isaac
invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21 By
faith Jacob,
when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of
his staff. 22 By
faith Joseph,
at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave
directions concerning his bones.
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden
for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful,
and they were not afraid of the
king's edict. 24 By
faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's
daughter, 25 choosing
rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He
considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt,
for he was looking to the
reward. 27 By
faith he left
Egypt, not
being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By
faith he
kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the
firstborn might not touch them.
29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on
dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. 30 By
faith the
walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By
faith Rahab
the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the
spies.
32 And what more
shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33 who
through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched
the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of
weakness, became
mighty in war, put
foreign armies to flight.35 Women received
back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept
release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others
suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They
were stoned, they were sawn in two,[a] they were killed with the sword. They
went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of
whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in
dens and caves of the earth.
39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since
God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be
made perfect.
Love, Daniella
