Trusting on the promises of God
Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. Hebrews 11:1-3
If we factor out God from life and with the sufferings and hardships we deal, we will not last. Yet, the Bible tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ provided us salvation for the purpose of providing us hope. “Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). Faith in God is what helps us overcome fear. From the text the author of Hebrews provided the reason why we can persevere in the midst of severe trials in life. When we grow in faith the more we grow in hope. Faith in God is not based on a feeling but having the certainty that God will keep His promises. It is not optimism or sentimentalism but a conviction in God’s word that no matter how uncertain the future looks like, we can still be confident in His Word. It is God's plan that we go through trials in life in order for us to develop our faith in Him. The phrase “what we hope for” includes the coming of Christ, our resurrection with Him, visibly seeing Him, and reigning with Him in glory. When these events become our realities in life while here in this world, we will be strengthened and sustained no matter what difficulties we are facing. God becomes real in our lives! This is also what sustained people of faith in the past for they were “looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10). The God who created everything is the same God who promised that He will always be with us. He said, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). God’s promises are a done deal, so take heart and persevere.
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com
