Daily Devotion – July 15, 2020 – Elwood Rieke
Hebrew 11:1
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Psychologists tell us that a mentally healthy person can tolerate uncertainty and change. Our ability to adapt and to live with the unknown and the unexpected is our strongest survival tool. People in mental hospitals can not live with unanswered questions. They must have the correct answers for everything, even if they have to create their own fantasy world of answers.
So it is that living with uncertainty is the hallmark of spiritual health as well. This is what we call “faith.” The author of the Biblical book of Hebrews defines faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” You may know that Hebrews, chapter 2 is called “the great chapter. Any reader is struck by that recurring theme: “by faith Abel, by faith Noah, by faith Abraham, by faith Moses.” Faith is trust in God’s providence and care. It is the attitude that declares: “I don’t know what God is doing, but I do believe that whatever it is, it is good.” You and I do not need all the answers because we live in the presence and love of God found in Jesus our Lord.
A faithful Christian is like the old woman who was told by a census taker that he was there “because every ten years the government tries to find out how many people live in the U.S.A.” The old woman replied, “Lordy, honey, I sure don’t know.” You and I do not have to know how the faithful life works. It just does.
Let us pray. O Lord, as your followers you have not called us to be successful. Rather you have called us to be faithful. Amen.
