Can we take a moment and appreciate the fact that the greatest chapter on faith in the entire Bible begins with present tense words?
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1 NIV, emphasis mine)
The writer of Hebrews is getting to launch into a narrative full of amazing exploits from people who walked with complete trust and faith in God, and he doesn’t start it with “once faith was.”
Please get that! When we tell stories from the past, we start with things like “once upon a time” or “in a galaxy far, far away” because we recognize that what happened then was then.
But not God.
He isn’t content to just tell stories of past exploits or to sit around the campfire and talk about the good ol’ days. We shouldn’t be, either.
We must carry “now” faith into the situations we now face. Share on XWe must carry “now” faith into the situations we now face! Present challenges need present faith. I pray that we would call out for fresh fire in our day and in our generation; that we would pray with the ancient prophet Habakkuk:
Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. (Habakkuk 3:2 NIV, emphasis mine)
Yes, Lord. Do it again, and do it now.
