Hebrews 11

The Explanation

Imagine a long hallway full of portraits. Not of kings with crowns, but of ordinary people who trusted God when they could not see how it would end.

The letter to the Hebrews walks us past them, one by one.

There is Noah. God warned him about water that was not there yet. No cloud in the sky. But Noah picked up his hammer and started building a ship, right there on dry ground. The neighbours must have laughed. He kept hammering anyway.

There is Abraham. God said: go. Abraham asked, "Where to?" And God did not say. The Bible puts it like this: "He went out, not knowing where he went." He packed up his tents, his sheep, his whole family, and walked into a land that was not his. He slept in a tent his whole life, because he was waiting for something better: a city that God Himself builds.

There is Sarah, old and grey, laughing at a promise, and then holding a baby in her wrinkled hands.

There is Moses, three days old, hidden in a basket while a king's soldiers hunted baby boys. His mum and dad were not afraid of the king. Later, grown-up Moses could have lived in a palace in Egypt, with gold and servants and the best food. He said no. He wanted to be with God's people, even when that meant hard work and trouble.

And there they go, a whole crowd walking through the Red Sea, water standing up on both sides like walls, sand dry under their sandals.

There are the trumpets around Jericho. Seven days of marching around a wall. Nothing happens. Nothing happens. Nothing happens. And then the stones come crashing down.

There is Rahab, who was not a good woman at all, and who opened her door to God's spies anyway.

What Does This Mean?

Every single one of these people had something in common. Not one of them was strong or clever enough on their own. What they had was faith.

Faith is a strange word, so the Bible explains it right at the start: "Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen." That means: you are sure of something you cannot see yet, because God said it.

Noah could not see rain. Abraham could not see the land. The people at Jericho could not see the wall falling. They believed God anyway, and they did what He said.

But the story is honest. Not everyone got a happy ending here on earth. Some were locked up. Some were mocked. Some were killed. They still kept believing. And God says something amazing about them: the world was not good enough for these people.

The Common Thread

Here is the surprising thing. All these people were waiting for something, and they died before they got it. Abraham never saw the city. Moses never saw the whole promise come true.

They were waiting for Jesus.

Moses already knew it, deep down. He counted being laughed at for Christ as better than all the treasure in Egypt. He looked forward to Someone he had never met.

And now that Jesus has come, we get to see what they only squinted at from far away. God kept the best part for us and for them together. Nobody is left out. Everyone who trusts Jesus ends up in that city with the strong foundations, the one God built Himself.

For You

Faith is not just for people in portraits. It is trusting God today, when you cannot see how it will work out.

Pick one thing this week that only makes sense if God is real. Pray for someone who is sick, even though you cannot fix it. Tell the truth about something you broke, even though you are scared. Share your snack when you would rather keep it all.

You cannot see God. Moses could not either. He kept going anyway, "as seeing him who is invisible."

Talk About It

Which person in that long hallway would you most like to meet, and what would you ask them?

What is one thing you would find hard to trust God with?

Praying Together

Lord God, thank You for all the people who trusted You before us. Help me to believe You when I cannot see You. Make me brave like Noah with his hammer, and like Moses who said no to gold. Thank You for Jesus, and for the city You are building. Amen.