Faith in the Invisible Real
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Join a Discipleship GroupHebrews 11:27
By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.
In the 11th chapter of Hebrews, the author describes that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. This is not a blind hope based on stories or myths that have no basis in reality. Our faith comes from a foundation of historical record in a God who interacts in the affairs of men.
Our verse today describes why the faith of Moses is so important for us to learn from. He believed God when circumstances, emotions, appearances, people, and human reason all urged to the contrary, unlike the children of Israel who followed God only when the things were favorable and their needs were met. Moses was trusting in the invisible and eternal God. The people were largely motivated by what appealed to their senses. They did not believe until after they saw Him work. They doubted God when they came to the edge of the Red Sea; but when He opened the water and led them across and they saw Pharaoh and his army drowned, then they believed.
Soon after they complained again. They led an up and down life because of this kind of faith that depended upon favorable circumstances. Eventually, God judged them and did not let an entire generation enter the promised land because of their unbelief. The Bible warns us not to be like them. The world says "seeing is believing," but God wants us to believe in order to see.
How can you live God's way? Study the Bible to understand what has already been told to us. Believe that the Bible is truth even when the world says that everyone decides their own truth. Wait patiently for God to answer prayer and provide your needs even when the world says that it's ok to steal because big corporations will never miss it. Protect your eyes from immoral images when the world says it won't hurt anyone. Tell the truth even when others around you are lying to protect themselves.
The Israelites wanted to go back to Egypt when they didn't see God at work. "Back to Egypt" is a life of slavery to our emotions. We need to be like Moses and believe that whether circumstances are working out the way we want them to or not, we will trust and follow Him.
Adapted from Streams in the Desert.