2022 Breakthrough Fast: Day 15
Waiting for Promises with Faith - Part 1
Perhaps the book of the Bible that is most devoted to this subject of waiting on God’s promises with faith is Hebrews. Hebrews was written to a community of Christians who were experiencing a period of persecution, and in this time of trial they were being tested to prove their true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The author speaks of such people as being “people of old who received their commendation” from God (Heb.11:2), people “of whom the world is not worthy” (Heb.11:38).
Hebrews 11:1 defines faith, saying, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” In these words, the author tells us that the essence of faith is waiting on the promises of God, and throughout the book he writes about it.
In chapter 3, he says that “in the day of testing” those who have true faith “hold fast” their “confidence and hope” in the promises of God “to the end.”
In chapter 6, Abraham is shown to be one of the greatest examples of waiting on the promise of God, “For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, ‘Surely I will bless you and multiply you.’ And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.” (Hebrews 6:13–15).
Then, throughout chapter 11, the author summons a catalogue of “heroes of the faith” who waited on the promises. There is Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who lived in tents in the land promised to them because they were “looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (Heb. 11:9-10). There is Sarah who “received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised” (Heb. 11:11). There is Moses who chose to be “mistreated” with the people of God faith rather than “enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin” because he considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward” (Hebrews 11:26).
There are so many more, for, as Hebrews encourages us, the essence of true faith is waiting on the promises of God.
In Christ,
Bill Hyer
Hebrews 11:1 defines faith, saying, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” In these words, the author tells us that the essence of faith is waiting on the promises of God, and throughout the book he writes about it.
In chapter 3, he says that “in the day of testing” those who have true faith “hold fast” their “confidence and hope” in the promises of God “to the end.”
In chapter 6, Abraham is shown to be one of the greatest examples of waiting on the promise of God, “For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, ‘Surely I will bless you and multiply you.’ And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.” (Hebrews 6:13–15).
Then, throughout chapter 11, the author summons a catalogue of “heroes of the faith” who waited on the promises. There is Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who lived in tents in the land promised to them because they were “looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (Heb. 11:9-10). There is Sarah who “received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised” (Heb. 11:11). There is Moses who chose to be “mistreated” with the people of God faith rather than “enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin” because he considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward” (Hebrews 11:26).
There are so many more, for, as Hebrews encourages us, the essence of true faith is waiting on the promises of God.
In Christ,
Bill Hyer
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