Daily Strength - When faith is weak

‘Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for … All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.’ (Hebrews 11 vs 1-2, 13 NIV)

I remember when I was coming towards the end of my legal studies going to see a lecturer, who I had a lot of respect for, and asking her what ‘next step’ would be good to help me get more experience of life. She lifted her eyes from her desk and said ‘The best way to get experience is to get older.’

Twenty five years on I smile at those words. As we get older, as Christians, we accumulate experiences of God helping us, leading us, and equipping us. These things build faith. Of course the problem is that when life is hard, disappointing, or for some people catastrophically difficult, our experiences can make faith difficult and tough.

Hebrews 11 vs 1-2 come at the beginning of great chapter in the Bible where we are encouraged to look beyond our own experiences of life and to learn from the stories of ‘ancient’ people who lived, persevered, and died, by faith. When these great stories of people like Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, unnamed women and unknown men, are all bundled together a picture emerges of a God who can be trusted. By faith their story becomes our story, our ‘life experience’, and so in faith we carry on.

Prayer: Father life brings many ups and downs. As I read the stories of your people in the Bible help my faith and trust in you to grow, as I read of what they experienced and learnt about You.