Faith Gives Assurance

September 9, 2012 Background Scripture: Hebrews 11; Psalm 46 Lesson Passage: Hebrews 11:1 – 6; Psalm 46 Faith is not natural; it is supernatural. People are not born with a propensity to trust an unknown and invisible God. It is only through the word of God that people can hope to receive faith in God. Faith comes as a result of hearing the word of God. Even then there is not always an ever-present sense of trust in God during times of distress. Experiencing faith in one’s life during trying times teaches us to be patient and wait for the promises of God to be manifest in our lives. What should we do while we wait for the manifestation of the promises to justify our faith? When true faith is present, we rest in the assurance that God has it all under control. True faith is its own evidence that the invisible will be made visible. We all need something of substance to hang on to in times of need or trouble. True faith has substance of its own. Our belief in the word of God gives us an assurance that we stand on when there is nothing else to rely on. Faith works best when there is no “Plan B”. If we have clear alternatives, then there is no need for faith. We hope for that which we do not see or sometimes even understand. As we examine the “Heroes of Faith” that are listed in the background scripture of our lesson, we note that one after the other they were presented with seemingly impossible situations. The more farfetched the situation, the greater the presence of their faith showed itself. How do you willingly submit to fiery furnaces and lion dens when you understand that no one before you has ever survived such an ordeal? It’s much easier to see ourselves surviving these situations when we have others as role models that have survived them already. Our faith is manifest when we find ourselves in our own unique quandary. My assurance will come when I surrender to the notion that God loves me too much to not have my best interest at heart. My faith gives full assurance when God’s love for me coexists with a situation that will cause God to be praised and honored. I don’t need faith so that I can get material things or be made happy. I need faith that I might please God and become an instrument that allows God to receive the glory. As we reflect again on the “Heroes of Faith”, in all those situations God received the glory. Some of the individuals received some benefits as a result of what they went through but not all of them. Some died without receiving any earthly gain for their troubles. But in all of these situations, God received the glory. The assurance that our faith gives helps us to understand that God will always reward us for our faith in Him. The best rewards are beyond this life. The God-given goodness of this life is but a foretaste of what God has for us in eternity. Eternity itself is a gift greater than any temporary pleasure we may receive in this life. The poet reminds us that the assurance God gives us because of our faith is truly a blessing to be counted. “This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long” Robert C. Hudson August 29, 2012