Trust This
Excerpt from Hebrews 11: 17, 20, 21, 22
“By faith Abraham . . . By faith Isaac . . . By faith Jacob . . . by faith Joseph.”
Reflection by Anthony B. Robinson
Once when I was new in a job and having a really tough time, a quiet and thoughtful older friend, and member of the church, handed me an envelope with a three by five card inside.
On the card were written these words: “There is a power in the universe forever on the side of those brave enough to trust it.” She noted they were from the French writer, Montaigne.
I was grateful to receive that simple message from this wise friend. It told me that she had a sense of my struggle and cared. Even more importantly, those words affirmed a faith we shared. Despite everything there is another power,
God’s power, at work in the world. This power is available to those brave enough to trust it.
In the letter to the Hebrews, the author recalls some of the many people who have gone before us in faith. Life wasn’t easy for them. Often the realities they faced threatened to overwhelm them. But the thing they all had in common was
their trust that another reality, an unseen power, the power and reality of God, was at work in the world. They trusted this. Moreover, their trust was not something passive. Nor was it merely agreeing with an idea. This trust meant they
acted and acted boldly. They took risks. They lived “by faith.”
This is still true and can be trusted: “There is a power in the universe forever on the side of those brave enough to trust it.” Trust this and live boldly, or at least a little more boldly, today.
Prayer
Dear Lord, when life threatens to overwhelm and undo me, remind me of those who have gone before me and walked “by faith.” Grant me grace to be in their number. Amen.
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