Recently, I have felt compelled to study the book of Hebrews more in-depth and have been particularly drawn to Hebrews 11. This passage has been dubbed the “Heroes of the Faith” passage of the New Testament. It’s a great reference to review the major characters in the Old Testament that the Lord used to bring His plans of restoring the Earth to fruition.
As someone who has studied the Bible and attended church my whole life, it is easy to say to myself, “I already know all these stories. Faith is powerful, and God loves it. Ok, cool.”
But choosing to read the passage with an open mind, I began by reading the ever popular definition of faith,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
This verse encourages those who have been struggling with an on-going conflict of some sort, reminding them that God is true to His promises. Holding on to faith in the face of conflict and suffering is something the Lord holds in high esteem.
But as I read on, I suddenly became aware of verse 3, which is often glossed over in light of the definition of what faith is and who the ancient “Heroes of the Faith” were. It says this,
“By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”
God created not just you out of nothing; not just all plants and animals out of nothing. God created the universe out of nothing. He spoke, and it came to be.
What does this mean for us? First, if gives us significance. It gives us identity. God called us into being when nothing like humanity existed before. Not only that, but He took the time to create each thing individually.
When we feel like nothing, God says, “You are something.”
But what else does this mean? It means that God has vision beyond our own.
There is an entire invisible realm around us, with beings more powerful than ourselves. Looking at this physical world, it is easy to have a shallow perspective. We let our problems and challenges and surface-level concerns look bigger than God to us.
I’m sure you’ve heard it said that when life hands you something crappy, “just look to God and have joy!” or some other trite attempt to explain the problem away. This is not what I am saying.
What I am encouraging you to do is to acknowledge what is troubling you, but to also remember how big God is.
It’s not minimizing your problem; it’s actualizing God.
When these moments come, it helps to fix our eyes and hearts on God, trusting that He knows more than we do. His plans may not always line up with ours because He has a higher, eternal perspective.
But we can remain confident that what He creates is good. And He always works for our good.
So in the midst of conflict, we can be reminded that there is One above everything, capable of solving whatever conflict we are fighting through. He creates and sustains all things.
Allow these thoughts on God’s invisible reality to invade your physical reality today. See how this perspective shifts your attitudes and actions.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him, nothing was made that has been made. – John 1:1-3
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Angela is a writer of songs and articles currently residing in the Denver area. She is a coffee connoisseur and lover of clever song lyrics. She geeks out over Harry Potter, black light mini golf , The Legend of Zelda, and macaroni and cheese.