I was thinking about the often-quoted Hebrews 11:1 verse that describes what faith is. It says, “faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it.”
It’s a nice verse, but when you think about it, we’re already in over our heads by the first principle in the sentence. “Faith means being sure.” Being sure! That sounds easy enough, but is it? How many things do you feel absolutely sure of as you look at your own life story? How many times have you been totally sure of something and been disappointed when it didn’t work out? Being sure means you are certain, confident, not a smidgeon of doubt anywhere. You know what you know what you know! How can we know something is real even when we can’t see it?
Of course, this is where we circle back to that word called faith. We know because we have faith. So, let’s go back to how we are sure that God is a reality. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” That’s a good clue. It says that somewhere deep within my heart and mind, I have to want to find God. When I truly want to find Him, He’ll show up. He’ll show me He is real. I will know Him because I will have the experience of being in His presence. Yes, I can be sure of that.
What else helps? Romans 1:20 reminds us that God has been trying to show us His handiwork simply by seeing the creation. The scripture says, “For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities have been clearly seen.” Few of us can witness an incredible panorama of mountains, oceans, and landscapes without feeling deep down that there is indeed a Creator. We can’t help but applaud God’s amazing artistry.
Going back to Hebrews 11, we might also ponder this thought. “Without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” So, we can be sure of our faith because God has made Himself known to us in every image, every landscape, every love story, every delight that makes life beautiful.
We have hope because we believe. We believe because we have been given the gift of faith. We know God’s real because He continually strives to reveal Himself to us, any time we search for Him. We are sure that He exists, and nothing could be more comforting than that.
Be sure of your faith. It is your everlasting connection to the One who calls Himself, “I Am!”