Our reading today continues the message of a pursuit of faith that we read yesterday. The author continues to account the faithful followers of God that came before, such as David and Moses. This lesson of faith in the midst of an enduring journey is reinforced as the author paints for us the dichotomy between faith in God and the suffering in this world. As the author lists off faithful followers of the Old Testament, we are left with one more truth: “All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.” (Hebrews 11:39-40).
This passage is again challenging as it’s not as simple as “be faithful and good things will happen.” Rather, we are expectant of suffering and hardships as we have all experienced these in some capacity. The author of Hebrews reminds us that suffering does not take the place of our faith, or vice versa, but instead, the two go hand-in-hand somewhat harmoniously.
The resurrection of Christ is a miracle that can’t be comprehended in its entirety. The resuscitation of Jesus and his ascension into heaven has deteriorated shackles that once clutched our hearts and souls. The conquering of death had stitched us back together to our Maker and mended us to God for eternity. This miracle is not one we take lightly and yet requires an abundance of faith to even accept this as a possibility. And now we anticipate the second coming of Christ we rely on our faith that all things will be reconciled. As we watch wars; calamity; and tragedies, and as we experience pain; grief; and injustice, we cling to hope in Christ and faith in the same God that brought deliverance to nations prior.
As we wait, this ending of our reading reminds us of the work we have to do as faithful followers of God. Together with Christ, we have a mission to bring justice and reconciliation to the lives of those we share this world with. As God makes all things new, we strive to bring goodness to one another. We have no control over what tomorrow will bring, but we can control our contribution of love and mercy to a world that needs it. Be encouraged to hold fastened to your faith and pour love into those around you. Although it may not seem like much at times, it’s our contribution to God’s Kingdom on this side of heaven.