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Day Twelve: The Hall of Faith

N.T. Wright says, “Faith is looking at God and trusting Him for everything, while hope is looking at the future and trusting God for it.” Faith is about the now, while hope is about the then.

Hebrews 11, the "Hall of Faith," starts by saying that by faith, we understand the universe was created by the Word of God. God speaks, and things happen. Faith comes by hearing, and everyone in Hebrews 11 got a word from God, faced crazy situations, and saw amazing things happen because they held onto that word.

The author of Hebrews is dropping a trump card. Remember Hebrews 1? God spoke to our ancestors, but now He’s spoken to us through Jesus. The people in Hebrews 11 didn’t have it easy—they faced frustration and delays but believed God and stuck it out. The preacher is suggesting, "Do you want to be a person of faith, like Abraham, or do you want to cave in?"

The heroes of faith didn’t just believe—they acted on what God said. That’s Abrahamic faith: trusting that God will keep His word, no matter what you see. Hebrews 11:13 says, “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar.” Some promises are so big, they’re fulfilled beyond our lifetime, but that doesn’t mean God isn’t faithful.

Here’s something crucial: I love the Scriptures, I teach the Scriptures, and I believe they’re the primary way God speaks to us. But in Hebrews 11, none of these people had a Bible verse—they had a direct word from God. Maybe God is speaking to you now through a parent, a boss, or even a nudge in your spirit. The key is to act on what God is saying, trusting Him with both the now and the then.

The heroes of faith put into action what God said to them. That's where the rubber hits the road: putting into action what you believe God has spoken to you.