Hebrews 11:29-35

Hebrews 11:29-35 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days. By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again.

Luke 9:38-43 A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.” “O unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.

As an unbelieving and perverse generation, we have written God out of history and out of our everyday lives. We teach our children the "true facts" about existence, implying there really isn't a God. He is but a figment of the imagination of the weak, the primitive. If He does exist at all, He is irrelevant to life, more like a clock maker who set things in action than a personal God who is involved in our lives. Authors have written thousands of books challenging God's relevancy or his existence. Even some theologians tell us the God of the Bible does not exist; instead, He is some kind of mystical power, a positive force, an energy holding everything together. Whoever God is, his power remains limited and temporary, existing only in our minds. This god thing works when we all get together and think good thoughts. Then God is real, but outside of the collaboration of the mind, He fails to exist. The god of the sophisticated and well-informed of our day is at most a distant creator, at the least a weak figment, and definitely not a personal, loving Father. As the Bible says, in the last days scarcely shall faith be found. Jesus could do little in his own town, for the people lacked faith: he was merely a carpenter, the son of Joseph and Mary, not the Son of God.

As the author of Hebrews describes people of faith, he reveals God's continued involvement with the people who placed their total faith in him. To these people, Jehovah was not an absent God or a seemingly capricious God: He was loving, caring, and nurturing. He protected his people from extinction by leading them to Egypt and sending them to the Promised Land where He created an imposing nation. His love endured, even when they prostituted themselves to other gods. Their rejection of God caused havoc and eventually led to their dispersion to other nations, but He always protected a remanent of believers, making sure the Jewish people would exist. God was intimately involved with Abraham's descendants, his people of faith. We know the Old Testament is a schoolmaster, revealing man's self-willed and rebellious nature. But in spite of this obstinacy, the Bible also proclaims the marvelous acts of the faithful that extend beyond our comprehension. Faith pleases God; without faith, no one will see God or experience the touch of his hand on their lives.

Today, we must reject the unbelieving and perverse nature of the dominant society of sin. As simple people of faith, Christians believe in God's active presence in our lives. For us He is still the God of all creation, the God of action and miracles. He is neither asleep nor absent from reality. He hears our every word and processes every thought we think. Do we speak words of faith or do we let circumstances create doubt in our hearts? As we face life's trials and difficulties, living by faith is not always easy. When we believe in God, we know that ongoing hardships do not mean He is not involved with our lives. We can choose to be men and women of faith or we can fall into double-minded thinking. The scriptures we are reading show that God surely intervenes in our lives, however, not all people are healed, not all travel a smooth path through this life. Even in the Old Testament difficult times occurred between the miracles, yet God remained committed to the Jewish people. Today, He is involved with your life. Today, He wants to cast out the demons of fear and unbelief from your mind. Today, He seeks caring and generous people to testify of his goodness and mercy. Today, He desires to reveal himself through you regardless of your circumstances. That is the true miracle, that is a life of faith.