City Life Starter

Written by Nate Warren

The Word

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. ² For by it the people of old received their commendation. ³ By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

Hebrews 11:1-3

Reflection

Faith relies on the assurance of something hoped for. What we hope for, in the context of Hebrews, are the promises of the New Covenant in Jesus. Assurance is demonstrated not just when we hold the right set of ideas in our minds, but when we live in the reality of those ideas. The “people of old”, as we read later in this chapter, lived contrary to empirical reason because they held knowledge–assurance, conviction–in something greater.

Put another way, faith needs a conviction in something invisible. In our time, we typically think of the material universe (the things made of matter — the elements, our bodies, galaxies, etc.) in a similar way that the New Testament writers speak of the visible. This leaves the invisible as the realm beyond the material universe, the spiritual realm (John 4:24, Colossians 1:15).

Application

Many consider the word faith to imply “blind faith,” which is only wishful thinking. The faith described here and elsewhere in the scriptures is a faith in what we know. We know it because we have heard the Word of God and have recognized it by its power and truth. By abiding with God in our daily life and looking for (and finding) God’s action everywhere, knowledge of the invisible increases and the ability to sense it grows stronger.

Prayer

Invisible Father,
Grant to me a greater knowledge of the invisible. Let me sense more of Your Kingdom at work all around me. Let me participate in Your plans, so that my faith will increase, and I can witness all these wonders.
Amen