“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

Isn’t it beautiful that God gave us the definition of faith? I believe people complicate faith a great deal and it’s natural as faith is not something tangible we can hold in our hands. It requires us to fully trust that God’s character is infallible and never changing. I love that is discusses hope and certainty – both are essential to our Christian walk and our walk with Christ. We must hope in Christ with complete certainty on who He is.

The chapter goes further to say that we know that the universe was formed at God’s command, “so that what is seen was not made out of what is visible” Hebrews 11:3. That is seriously amazing and breaking down that verse means that all around us was originally made out of something invisible. That’s where adults complicate faith. Because it’s not easy to put trust into anything we cannot tangible hold, especially when we are suffering and hurting.

The chapter then goes one step further and says “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 God rewards those who seek Him. That’s an amazing thing – by faith He rewards us.

‘By faith” is used 16 times in the chapter. This chapter is often referred to as the Hall of Fame of faith. Do we have our own hall of fames of our faith? Do we track our journey of faith? Are we spending our time trying to figure out what faith means to us personally? Are we adding facts to our faith?

The definition of faith in the Bible means we hope and are certain what is invisible. It doesn’t mean faith is illogical. To me, I think it’s a metaphor of when we go sit on a couch. We don’t ever just walk over and assume it’ll break under us. We probably never think about it. That’s how our faith should be in the midst of our circumstances. We hope and are certain it’ll support our weight. God is that couch and our faith in Him means we trust that He will support us in our earthly walk.

That’s why I say adults complicate faith. It’s not that faith disregards the facts – the entire Bible is fact and has many stories of those who endured many sufferings and trials and were delivered by God and even rewarded for their faith. Hebrews 11 is the facts of those people. But there are many things in the Bible that we believe are true that if we didn’t trust in God’s character we would ask if they are humanly possible – but faith isn’t human invention – it’s God. For example, Jonah and the fish, the parting of the Red Sea. That’s why people lose faith in many regards or question their faith. It’s not that we wish upon a star. It’s that we actively pursue Christ and put all our trust into His hands. That’s why there is so much about God calling us into the deep waters where it feels unsafe. Faith feels unsafe at times because it requires complete and unequivocal trust in our Creator when the waves rush over our heads and we feel as we are drowning.  

Faith is active. So when our circumstances hurt, when people hurt others, when people die for no reason, when people are addicts, divorce, sin — it makes us question God and even our faith. This week has been a test of my own faith. And our faith in Christ doesn’t mean we don’t see our reality or we deny it and live in some fantasy land – it means we believe the God of the Bible right now, this minute, today. We believe that His power and His command created “what is seen” with our reality. And since He created it, He can change it at His will. That’s why we still witness miracles today, big and small. That’s why it speaks about the generation needing a sign. If our generation needs a sign, it lacks faith. Because true faith is the hope and certainty that God exists in the invisible heavenly realm, He is the God of the Bible, and He will deliver us from death to eternal life.

I think that’s why again I go back to adults complicating faith. Faith is simple and faith is found in the word faithful. It’s surrendering our being to God and allowing Him to be faithful to us in whatever manner He chooses. In the joy, in the pain, and in everything in-between knowing we may have an easy walk on this earth but that we will go to heaven and be with him.

I wrote a devotional the other day about prayer and heaven, the spiritual realm and faith fits in the same. How often do we think of faith and heaven being interchangeable? They are in many regards. Faith believes that God exists and heaven exists because heaven is invisible to us now. We are in part on this side of eternity but “God had planned something better for us to that only together with us would they be made perfect” Hebrews 11:40.

I would challenge us to remember that God rewards faith and that God is faithful. Even more so, I would challenge us to let loose the faith facts, the sermons, the commentary and allow our faith to be simplified to Hebrews 11:1. I would challenge us to remember the Bible truth and God’s definition always overrides man’s. We may not understand His ways but we must sit on His couch. That’s where the real conversations, the hidden things of God and His love can hold us when the world’s love falls apart. Because God’s couch never breaks. God’s couch never fails. God’s couch is the only faithful couch that will support us when the world leaves us. God’s couch is the couch of faith.