Taking a Leap of Faith
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Hebrews 11
1. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2. For by it the men of old received divine approval. 3. By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear. 4. By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he received approval as righteous, God bearing witness by accepting his gifts; he died, but through his faith he is still speaking. 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 attested 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. 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, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34. quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35. Women received their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life. 36. Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, ill-treated -- 38. of whom the world was not worthy -- wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39. And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40. since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
I sat on my deck again this morning. Have I mentioned how much I love my deck?! At one point the birds and other creatures were making such a racket, I almost had to come inside, because I was so distracted! We have a woodpecker who hangs out in one of our trees—I haven’t seen which one yet. I wonder if it’s the same one who used to desperately attempt to pound a hole in the siding of our former house down the street. It may well be, because after several minutes of battering the tree, he must have flown overhead and began banging like mad either on the house, or more likely the garage—then squawking in dismay and frustration, flew back to his tree and began again in earnest. One would think that all this talk of nature and God’s creations might have sent me to the Psalms. And I did spend some time there this morning, trying to decide which one to share.
But then, for a reason only God can explain, I turned my head slightly (I try to sit facing a different direction each morning) and saw my squirrel! That crazy squirrel is as regular as clockwork! He has a morning routine that I have observed almost every day I’ve been in this house! And the very first time I watched him, I thought of taking a “leap of faith!” I don’t know where he starts his morning routine or how it ends, as I only observe this one portion of his scheduled activities each morning. When he catches my attention he’s perched on the edge of the garage roof (he must jump to the roof from a tree, and the sound draws my attention (?). He pauses ever so briefly, and takes a huge leap off the roof to a scrawny, half-dead branch that the tree trimmers forgot to cut off this tree long ago. I couldn’t believe that leafless branch would even hold him the first time I witnessed this aerial stunt! But every morning . . . a slight pause . . . a huge leap . . . and then hanging on for dear life till the branch stops swinging and he can steady himself to continue about his day.
This chapter of Hebrews lists just about every well-known bible figure you could call to mind—and some I have to look up! It recounts all the great and glorious things that regular, ordinary, every day people were able to accomplish because of their faith. By faith. Not by self-confidence. Not be self-reliance. Not by sheer force of will. By faith. By a certain knowing, by a belief in something greater than themselves. By assurance of God’s power to act in their lives. I think all of these folks understood they weren’t what most of us would consider “outstanding” people. They were people just like us. Oh . . . but wait! They had outstanding faith! They had unwavering faith! They relied upon God, had confidence in Him, and believed without doubt that when He makes a promise He keeps it.
By faith. That’s all the “know-how” we really need to live our lives. Faith in a power above all powers. Faith in a God who made woodpeckers and squirrels. Faith in a God who made me and you. Faith in a God who removes the complicated debate about who, what, where when and how!
I hope today, you allow your faith to steer your life and guide you in your decisions. And that when others ask you how you can be so sure and confident about your decisions, you tell them, “By faith.”
Mary
