Our author pauses from his detailed list and just sort of shakes his head. How can he possibly list all the ones who trusted God in unlikely times and places? He summarizes the rest of Israel’s history of faithful people with reminders of incredible miracles. Do you have any miracles that you return to in your mind at times, just to remind yourself of God’s incredible help in a crisis? I have a collection of little (and big) miracles in a series of journals I call my Little Book of Miracles.” I’m on book four!
I’ll share a recent one with you today, k? Last Christmas, Ray and I drove from New Hampshire to Virginia to celebrate the holiday with our daughter, Mary, and family. Our daughter from Florida and her family flew up to Virginia. It was a special time. However, Ray and I almost died on our way to Mary’s home. We were on the DC Beltway, about half an hour away from our final destination when our tire literally shredded and left us bumping along on our wheel at 65 miles an hour in heavy 5-lane traffic. We were in the fastest lane at the time because we were getting ready for a left hand turn. Ray had to stop just about immediately and pulled into the median. We stopped with cars whizzing by us. Then we noticed it. We had been driving through a construction area where there had been no median – no place to pull over from the left lane. Ahead of us, less than 10 yards away, the median ended. Yup. We would have had to stop or slow so drastically that we’d have caused a multiple car accident and perhaps lost our lives. God got us over at just the right time. In the only spot where we could be off the busy beltway. You better believe that’s in my latest “little book of miracles!” If we don’t recount these stories of His intervention, we forget. I’m so glad Hebrews reminds us of all the stories, too.
The last thing to point out in this section is that not everyone got a happy ending. Some closed lion’s mouths (Daniel!) and others got sawed in two. An extremely horrid way to die, and tradition tells us this was Isaiah’s fate – the wonderful prophet who told us all about Jesus’ death in Isaiah 53. Just because we have a close and loving relationship with God doesn’t mean we’ll have a soft and comfortable life. God has plans for each of us and although His plans are always good … sometimes we would not choose His plan if asked. At all!! Have you been there? I sure have. Yet, all of the ones mentioned in this marvelous chapter believed God was good. God was in control. God would someday make the world right again. Whether our story is triumphant or terrible, let’s be of those who trust God anyway. I’m inspired! (But I’m kinda hoping for a shut the lion’s mouth story, personally.)
My verse: Hebrews 11:38, “All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.”
My response: Father, thank You for the full truth in this verse. Help me to remember that faith is rewarded for believing in what we do not yet see. Keep me believing all the way to Heaven when my faith will become a blessed sight!
