By faith we know the worlds were made, by faith offerings have been made to God. By faith men have been translated that they should not see death. Without faith, we cannot please God. By faith Noah built the ark, Abraham went to a place God later would show him. By faith Abraham, Isaac and Jacob sought a city whose builder and maker is God. By faith Sara conceived, by faith Abraham offered Isaac. By faith Isaac blessed his sons, and Jacob, his, while dying. Joseph, by faith, prophesied of the children of Israel's departure from Egypt, by faith Moses was hid. By faith Moses refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. By faith he forsook Egypt, kept the Passover, passed through the Red Sea. By faith the walls of Jericho fell, and Rahab perished not.
It has been through faith that kingdoms have been subdued, righteousness has been wrought, promises have been realized and obtained, the mouths of lions have been closed. By faith, men have quenched the violence of fire, they've escaped the edge of swords. By faith, when weak, were made strong and able to wax valiant in fight and turn to flight the armies of aliens. By faith women have seen their loved ones blessed by God to see life again. Other women, by faith, were tortured, not accepting deliverance, so by faith they could obtain a better resurrection.
By faith some have had trials of cruel mockings, just as our Lord Jesus. By faith some have been scourged, stoned, sawn asunder. Some, by faith have been in bonds and in prison. Some, by their faith were tempted, and finally slain by a sword. Through it all, by faith they wandered in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented. By faith they were able to wander in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. Of these it is said, "the world was not worthy."
By faith they lived, by faith they suffered, by faith they died.
So yes, it is mystical, it is magical, it is inexplicable. Above all, it is a powerful witness that man cannot extinguish. And without it we would perish. Without it we would have no anchor for our soul and life. Without it, we would drift forever.
Faith is the brightest evidence
Of things beyond our sight,
Breaks through the clouds of flesh and sense,
And dwells in heav'nly light.
It sets times past in present view,
Brings distant prospects home,
Of things a thousand years ago,
Or thousand years to come.
By faith we know the worlds were made
By God's almighty word;
Abram, to unknown countries led,
By faith obeyed the Lord.
He sought a city fair and high,
Built by th' eternal hands,
And faith assures us, though we die,
That heav'nly building stands.
Of things beyond our sight,
Breaks through the clouds of flesh and sense,
And dwells in heav'nly light.
It sets times past in present view,
Brings distant prospects home,
Of things a thousand years ago,
Or thousand years to come.
By faith we know the worlds were made
By God's almighty word;
Abram, to unknown countries led,
By faith obeyed the Lord.
He sought a city fair and high,
Built by th' eternal hands,
And faith assures us, though we die,
That heav'nly building stands.
5 comments:
I really enjoyed this post. It was a good reminder of the faith of so many of God's children before us. More importantly, it was a great reminder to be more faithful.
Gary and I enjoyed reading your blog tonight, and singing the song.
He says to tell you "Faith, hope, and charity, the greatest of these is charity." I think he wants you to write on it next.
Lyd - it is a great encouragement to see the faithfulness of those gone before, especially when confronting situations far more grave than our own. It should cause us to be more faithful, and more ashamed when we complain of our journey, when their's was much harder to bear.
Hi Gary & Dani - glad to hear from you! Also, congratulations, and I pray our Lord blesses you with many happy, and fruitful years together in His kingdom.
I'm glad you enjoyed this post, I enjoyed thinking upon it while writing it. The 11th chapter of Hebrews is perhaps my most favored chapter of the Bible. (Of course I have so many that it depends on my mood!)
The verse Gary quoted is a good one, keep an eye out, I'll try to write on it soon!
I really like the 11th chapter too. It's also handy when you want to go back and look at one of those people, because the cross reference tells you exactly where to go, so I'm not scanning 15 chapters. hehe.
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