faith

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. (Hebrews 11:1-3, NRSV)

By faith our ancestors received approval. Not by the actions they did. They were approved by the faith they had.

And faith is knowing that what we hope for, will be, and what we can not see still exists.

The image that always comes to mind for me when I hear this is from the song by DC Talk Mind’s Eye. The song is about what I see in my mind, and might not see in real life. But part of the song talks about the wind. Have you ever seen the wind? You can see the effects that the wind has. You can see the leaves move, and the trees sway. You can feel the wind. But you can not see the wind.

So it is with God, and what we believe. We can see the effects that He has in our lives and feel His presence. But yet we can see Him, in the faces of those who share our faith, our hope, our conviction.

So cling to your faith, and know that it is the assurance for what we hope for, the conviction of things unseen!