“And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:39,40).
TEXT — Hebrews 11:17-40
Message
Vance Havner correctly said, “Faith will not always get for us what we want, but it will get what God wants us to have.” This truth is borne out in the passage for today’s meditation.
The text lists a variety of outstanding feats of Old Testament heroes of faith. Some on this faith honour’s roll experienced miraculous deliverance and accomplished extraordinary deeds. In this category of ‘obvious success’ are those who, through faith, visualized the invisible, attempted the impossible and achieved the incredible. They “subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.” But on the flip side are others who, by the same faith, did not receive deliverance but endured cruel mocking, agonizing torture, tragedies and trials. By listing these ‘apparent losers’ among the heroes of faith, we are instructed not to view faith as a magic bridge over our seas of problems but as a pathway through them.
From God’s perspective, faith is double-faced. We win by faith either by receiving the deliverance we desire or by receiving sufficient grace to endure without losing our trust in God. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of Nebuchadnezzar’s fire unhurt by faith. Still, by the same token of faith, Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna, was burnt at the stake, exuding so much courage and peace that amazed his persecutors.
The object of winning faith, then, is for you to hold on to your convictions even when you cannot predict the outcome of your course for God. As you continue to walk with God, determine to live by faith and leave the outcome to Him.
Thought for the day
The faithful Christian is a winner – head or tail.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
That is a wonderful message God bless you.