Someone told me through tears that their son said he didn’t believe in God. He is a grown man now, but what sent him to atheism was the fact he begged God to not let his mom and dad split up when he was a boy. He had truly believed God was able and willing to fix his family but after all his tears and prayers, they went their separate ways and his world was shattered. How many of us have similar stories of believing God and praying to no avail? Is God indifferent to our pain? What do we have to do to get on His good side so He will answer our prayers?
Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1
Faith is (equals):
- Assurance of what we hope for.
- Certainty of what we do not see.
If faith is being assured what we hope for will be done, it’s a wonder anyone on the planet still believes in God. I’ve hoped for many things that were not to come to pass.
“I happen to believe many of us have faith all wrong.”
I happen to believe many of us have faith all wrong. Faith has little to do with getting what we desire and everything to do with believing an invisible world is more real than what we currently see with our eyes.
It is being a hundred percent sure of two things:
- God is real.
- His Kingdom is real.
People of great faith believe in God and His Kingdom in spite of what happens to them not because they have all their hopes and dreams fulfilled.
At God’s Word:
- Noah built an ark and there had never been rain.
- Abraham took Isaac (his child of promise) to sacrifice him.
- Joshua marched around Jericho instead of invading it.
- Joseph told his people to carry his bones out of Egypt when God fulfilled his promise. He knew beyond doubt God would come rescue His people because He promised He would.
- Sure enough, hundreds of years after Joseph’s death, Moses carried his bones up out of Egypt (fires me up).
- Moses suffered with his people instead of choosing all the riches and ease of Egypt. He persevered because he saw Him who is invisible (Hebrews 11:27).
“What a promise keeping and faithful God!”
What a promise keeping and faithful God! All those people looked beyond the here and now to who God is and His glorious Kingdom. They suffered down here but did not give up because this was not their home. They lived believing God and (more impressively), they died believing God.
All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.
Hebrews 11:13
Abraham was looking forward to the city with foundations whose architect was God. No wonder he lived in a tent. It showed how temporary this world was to him.
Those people weren’t worried about a better job or a nicer house. They were fully persuaded of the Real Kingdom. This earthly kingdom will pass away and be forgotten. God’s Kingdom is eternal.
Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
John 18:36
“Either Jesus was delusional or His Words were true.”
Either Jesus was delusional or His Words were true. He came to the earth but He was only here to do God’s will and get the heck back out. Oh, if we all had that attitude what a difference we would make down here and how much more we would enjoy ourselves on the journey.
“Aim at Heaven and you will get Earth ‘thrown in’: aim at Earth and you will get neither.”
C.S. Lewis
Jesus’ body was mistreated and He didn’t have a place to call home, but it didn’t matter. He had what God would give every single one of us; His Spirit, His Kingdom, and His Presence 24/7. God would lead each of us through every moment of the day if we would make His Kingdom our number one priority.
If God doesn’t give His people a house, two cars, 2.5 children, and a dog, you would think He was a cruel Father. We have equated earthly success to God’s favor. If that’s true, then Jesus was not highly favored. When He died, He owned four pieces of clothing. Since He had no home (Luke 9:57-58), He probably didn’t own much more.
“If any of us think our little prayers left unanswered determine whether God is or is not, we will stay on a roller coaster of faith our entire life.”
If any of us think our little prayers left unanswered determine whether God is or is not, we will stay on a roller coaster of faith our entire life. God cannot bow to our every desire and still operate the way He has to operate to bring this world to the place it’s going; which is an end.
We are to look at what is invisible, know this is not our home, and pour ourselves into what we cannot see by faith.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:18
Many Christians live as if earth is eternal and as if heaven doesn’t exist. We pour so much money, time, and energy into our homes, our bodies, sports, education, finding a mate, having a baby, and a million other things.
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.
1 Timothy 6:7
“We leave this world as we came into it; naked.”
We leave this world as we came into it; naked. We will not take one penny or one stitch of clothing with us. Whether we live twenty years or a hundred, in the light of eternity there is little difference.
Yet, Jesus tells us of a place where we can make deposits every single day we live. Our jobs and our homes should be places that teem with life and energy because we are there. There should be no drudgery in this world for us because everything we do is eternal. We should scrub our toilets and wash our clothes to the glory of God. God intends for our homes to be a little piece of heaven on earth.
Faith is seeing a world falling completely apart and being filled to the brim with joy and confidence because of what we know to be true.
Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
Hebrews 11:10
Hebrews 11 says none of the people believing God got what was promised. How did they have such strong faith? The promise wasn’t what they wanted. They wanted the God of the promise.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Hebrews 11:6
True faith seeks one thing; God. There is no greater gift than His Presence.
We are going to die. Babies are going to die. Car crashes are going to happen. If we believe hard enough, will God shield us from all that? I wish the answer was “yes,” but it’s not. None of us know what the future holds for us but God.
That’s why Jesus said, “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:20-21)
“Jesus spoke of the unseen world as a place where we can actually store things of value.”
Jesus spoke of the unseen world as a place where we can actually store things of value. They will be safely out of reach of the enemy. Even if one of my children were to die, they will be in the place where I am going and nothing painful will ever touch them again.
Our daily lives should be living proof of another world and should convince others of its Reality.
I have read of such a man and I am changed because of his life.
Richard Wurmbrand was a pastor in communist Romania who went to prison for fourteen years because of his faith in Christ. He was released after eight years and when the gate shut behind him, he said in a loud voice so the guards would hear him, “God, help me not to rejoice more because I’m free than because You were with me in prison!”
The suffering and inhumane torture he went through was more than I can write in this blog. After he was freed, he prayed that God would put him back in prison if it was His will. Guess what? It was God’s will and he spent another six years in prison with beatings, starvation, and torture.
How did he do it? He was sure of what he hoped for and convinced of what he could not see. During his time in prison, he led wicked man after wicked man to faith in Christ before they died. He was deprived of all earthly pleasures but his faith did not rest in earthly pleasures. His faith was completely secure and anchored to the God who is invisible.
The kingdom inside of him grew so great that this earthly kingdom held nothing for him. He said his time in prison showed him whether he believed or just believed he believed. His joy as he worshipped God in solitary confinement (for three straight years) made me jealous because I am often so distracted.
May we, as God’s people, grow out of baby prayers about getting what we want and grow into kingdom prayers that say, “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
All of hell shakes when a soul prays like that and means it.
