Hebrews 11:1-6: a reflection

1Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen. 2For by this, the elders obtained approval. 3By faith we understand that the universe has been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen has not been made out of things which are visible. 4By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had testimony given to him that he was righteous, God testifying with respect to his gifts; and through it he, being dead, still speaks. 5By faith Enoch was taken away, so that he wouldn’t see death, and he was not found, because God translated him. For he has had testimony given to him that before his translation he had been well pleasing to God. 6Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.

The chapter opens with a definition worth carrying with you: faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Faith is not a leap into nothing. It is a settled confidence in realities that are certain but not yet visible. By such faith, the writer says, we understand that the universe was framed by the word of God, that the seen came from the unseen.

Then come the examples. By faith Abel offered a better sacrifice and, though dead, still speaks. By faith Enoch walked so closely with God that he was taken without dying. What these lives share is a trust that reached toward God and pleased him. And the writer draws the line clearly: without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever comes to him must believe that he exists and rewards those who seek him.

This tells you something both simple and searching about how to approach God. You come believing two things: that he is real, and that he responds to those who genuinely seek him. Not that he pays the clever or the impressive, but that he rewards seeking. So bring your seeking heart to him today, however faltering, trusting not in the strength of your faith but in the faithfulness of the God you are reaching toward. He does not turn away those who come.

Lord, faith is the assurance of what I hope for and the conviction of what I cannot yet see. Steady me in that confidence. I believe that you are, and that you reward those who seek you, so I come seeking, however faltering my heart. Do not turn me away, but meet me as you met all who trusted you before. Amen.