In (Hebrews 11:32-40) we read a fascinating portion of Scripture in relationship to faith. This long passage reads as follows:
32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
After reading these verses we see that in the short run there are no guarantees that having faith will generate our desired outcome. Notice we read in (verse 34), that those with faith “escaped the edge of the sword,” and in (verse 37), that others with faith “were slain with the sword.” And again, we read in (verse 33), that those with faith “obtained promises,” and others with faith, “did not receive the promise.” (verse 39). All of those mentioned in this chapter had great faith but some escaped the sword and other were put to death with the sword.
Today we read of Christian missionaries that are wonderfully delivered from great perils in foreign countries while other missionaries sadly die a martyr’s death for their faith in Christ. The point is that when we sign up to serve Jesus there are no guarantees that life will always go as planned or that our faith will always deliver us from short term harm. In God’s sovereignty, His master plan will always work together for good for the Christian (Romans 8:28), although we may have to endure difficult trials and even death for the sake of the Gospel.
However, in the long run, we will be greatly blessed, if we stay the course and let God use us for His glory. I find that one of the most encouraging verses in all of Scripture is (Matthew 5:11-12): “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
What I see in these two verses is that faith in Christ doesn’t always shield us from trials and persecutions, but will always bring us joy if we realize that we are being used to bring glory to God. In addition, we will be generating eternal rewards in our bank account in heaven.
My friends as Christians we need to leave room for the sovereignty of God to work out His plans through us. When we do this the short-term journey may be difficult, but the long-term gains will simply be out of this world. So, let’s enjoy the journey, rejoice always in the Lord, and know with certainty that our faith will always be used to advance the kingdom of God.
Nice message of perspective and encouragement especially as we learn of Christians being murdered in Nigeria by Muslim militants, 18 killed January 11.