Faith

Going for a Walk

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By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. Hebrews 11:5 ESV

I love going for walks, whether at the park, along the beach or around our neighborhood. It is my way of not only getting fresh air, but also finding a place to think and talk things out with God. The Bible says that Enoch walked with God. Now we aren’t given the details but maybe his last day on earth went a little like this. He put on his robe and sandals, kissed his wife goodbye and said, “I’m headed out for a walk.” It was just like every other day, except that this time Enoch never came home.

Though Enoch’s disappearance certainly must have seemed strange, what is interesting to me is that no one wondered where he went. People who knew Enoch recognized that he walked so closely with God that if He were missing, then God must have taken Him. The Bible doesn’t explain exactly how this occurred, but it tells us that God was pleased with him and that he did not see death. Did you get that part? “He did not see death!” Now strange or not, the testimony Enoch left for us is both a challenge and a promise. Today Enoch’s life challenges us to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, and yet it also includes the promise that if we do that, God will walk with us and His promise is that He will take us on a path that goes on forever, and that for forever, He will walk with us!

Castaway

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Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. Hebrews 10:35 KJV

The film, Castaway, starring Tom Hanks, tells the story of a pilot who after crash-landing his airplane in the ocean, ends up on a desert island. As the slow plot line dragged on, I found my mind wandering and wishing that something dramatic would happen. Just about anything would do! But the reality was that until help came, there was nothing for this guy to do but talk to a soccer ball he named, Mr. Wilson. In today’s verse God urges us not to do this with our faith. Don’t give up! Don’t lose hope! Don’t become a castaway talking to a soccer ball! Yet when we face what appear to be never-ending challenges to our faith, we are tempted to do just that. But the confidence we have in God is a hope that doesn’t just sit around wishing for rescue; it is spiritual reality with a great reward! “That sounds great,” I can imagine you saying, “But where do I begin?” I suggest we start by another kind of casting.

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7 KJV

If we were thrown overboard in a storm, I am pretty sure that none of us would unsnap our life preserver and cast it away. Yet when we face hardships and the very real problems of life, we are sometimes tempted to think that letting go of our faith and trust in God will bring us some relief. The Apostle Peter urges us to do just the opposite. Instead of casting away hope, He tells us to cast away our cares. In the middle of trials, we need to remind ourselves that God still cares for us. His mercies never fail and are new every morning: even mornings that dawn in emergencies rooms or on battle fronts.

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22 KJV

In the middle of the pressures of life we can have confidence because God cares for us and He carries us, and just as He did for the multitude on a hillside one day, He gives us multiplied bread to provide for our need. Now He is waiting to see what we will do with the bread of His compassion and mercy. Will we just gobble it all own for ourselves, or will we do just a little more casting?

Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Ecclesiastes 11:1 KJV
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Step Away From the Puzzle

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These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 
Hebrews 11:13 ESV

Years ago, book lovers often subscribed to book-of-the-month clubs and one of the most popular was the Reader’s Digest. Their angle was to condense books down from their original length, and then bundle 4-5 novels into a single volume. (Think War and Peace down to 120 pages!). Though this was usually a big hit, one of their flops was an ill-conceived attempt to condense the Bible. Turns out folks didn’t want the Good Book being slimmed down! Yet, in Hebrews chapter eleven, God does, what those editors couldn’t, and gives in just forty verses a condensed version of all the heroes of the Old Testament. Today’s passage tells us that these people hadn’t received all of God’s promises, but they got a glimpse of them from far away.

That long distance perspective reminded me of putting together a jig-saw puzzle. God’s promise is the beautiful picture on the front of the box, but what I see is more like a heap of pieces dumped on a table. Some of them I put aside for edges, while others I group by color, but few fit easily together. But just as the Bible heroes stepped back and greeted their promises from afar, sometimes the best puzzle strategy is to step away. After too much time up close, we need to rest our eyes. Then, almost miraculously, on when we return, we see patterns that just leap out at us, and we make progress. The worst thing is to keep trying to force pieces together without perspective. In the Bible, that approach has led to some terrible decisions. Abraham took a second wife when Sarah didn’t get pregnant, Moses killed an Egyptian, and David got tangled up with Bathsheba, just to name a few. If our own lives were condensed into forty verses, I am sure there would be enough to scandalize all our friends and family! But if we just step back, God will help us see His promises from afar. That viewpoint is a reminder that we aren’t on a predetermined schedule and only God can see the whole picture on the front of the box. So, take a breath, step away from the puzzle for a moment and God will give you the wisdom to fit together that puzzle, one piece at a time!