Faith

I've been reading through the book of Hebrews again -- I recommend reading it once a year as a tool for re-focusing our understanding of God.  More on that another time.  But today, since I was reading chapter 11, often called The Faith Chapter, a basic question came up:  Why faith -- that is, faith in God?  Why are we encouraged to have faith, and in this chapter and others we are told the stories of those who had faith?  Here are a few of the reasons faith is so important:

1.  Faith is the basis for a relationship with God. Adam and Eve didn't believe God was giving, and would always give, the best to them, even though God had put them in this beautiful place, given them all they needed, and they still didn't trust him.  Instead, they turned away from God to follow what the serpent said, and suffered as a result.  By contrast, what experience did they have with the serpent, that would tell them he was trustworthy?  ("Would you buy a used car from this snake?")  So, Hebrews 11:6 says "And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him."    If you don't believe God, how would you relate to him?
2.  Faith in God tells us that what God has promised will happen, even though we can't measure it with our five senses.  Hebrews 11:1 says "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see."  So we have to trust that God will provide the reward of totally enjoyable life without end, in the presence of our Creator and Father -- a life we won't see or experience until after we pass from this temporary existence.
3.  Faith helps us make the hard choices to do God's will.  Noah 'built an ark'; Abraham 'went without knowing where he was going...was ready to sacrifice his only son Isaac'; Moses 'chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin'; and a hundred other stories.  Including mine, and I hope, yours.  Without trusting that God will somehow provide for us, how do we let go of the immediate desire in favor of the eternal joy?  How would we offer our finances to God, rather than holding on to every penny for our own uses?  Without faith, how do we know God will take care of us?
4.  Faith is our link to salvation.  Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us that God saves us by grace through faith, and that salvation is not a reward for our obedience or works.  In fact, verse 9 tells us that the faith itself is a gift of God -- which we must receive obediently, rather than insisting we can work it out ourselves somehow.

Trusting God -- another definition of faith -- is essential for a life spent listening to and responding to God.  The stories in Hebrews 11 and many other places tell us it's possible to have that faith, and encourage us to ask God for a clearer and stronger trust in him.  So if you feel yours is 'running low' or you're not doing too well at trusting him, now might be a good time to read those again and let God refresh your tired heart with his own strength and peace.