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 “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see…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 11:1; 6 (ESV)

We’ve been finishing up a study at church on Hebrews 11, and I’ve been diving deep into these verses over the past month. We’re  probably familiar with this Hall of Faith which includes many of our fave characters from the Bible. As I was studying this past week, I noticed something very interesting.

“By faith Enoch was taken from this life so that he did not experience death; He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”  (Hebrews 11:5)

“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.” (Hebrews 11:7)

Enoch faithfully walked with God for over 300 years. Noah was a righteous, blameless man who walked with God and faithfully took Him at His word in total obedience to build the ark. Two men with two distinctly different paths, yet each one speaks loud of God’s great pleasure in our faithfulness to Him.

One was whisked away (Enoch) leaving his family and friends to wonder what happened to him. He simply was no more and couldn’t be found. I wonder if they searched endlessly for him, did they have a funeral, or just simply trusted God had taken him. Noah on the other hand wasn’t taken away, instead God kept him and his family here while taking the lives of everyone else who chose not to believe. I wonder if Noah questioned why God didn’t take him and his family away to heaven like Enoch, rather than leave them as the lone survivors in this world.

Great questions, right? It’s the proverbial questions we often ponder when it comes to God’s plan for our lives. Why do some suffer extensively while others exit from this world is quick and sudden? Why does success and ease seem to follow some while others face difficulties and challenges? Why do some get the glories of heaven while we who are still here are left to deal with the brokenness of our world?

Only our sovereign God knows the answers to all our probing questions. We serve and love a personal God who divinely orchestrates every day of our lives. No cookie cutter version will serve us well. God knows our individual faith story reveals what we are holding onto  and who we are anchored to. If it is self and this world, then we will crumble. If it’s God, then we will be steady and faithful regardless of the story He is writing.

So, as we venture through another day let’s consider where we need to be stretched in our faith. Perhaps it’s His stretching us to be conformed more and more to His image. Maybe it’s stretching us to take a leap of faith in obedience to what He has called us to do. Could it be He’s stretching us to trust Him more with daily challenges? Maybe He is stretching us in hard places so we might glorify His name through the trial. Wherever we land, let it be said of us that we walked with God faithfully and daily sought His face.

“Sweet Jesus thank you for the beauty of Hebrews 11 which details the account of so many faithful ones, not perfect ones, but those who walked with you throughout their lives. May we be women of God who You delight in and are pleased with.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life