PODCAST
Joy of Faith That Suffers
October 30th, 2022
Hebrews 11:31-40
Hebrews 11 is a string of examples of heroes of faith. These are people who obeyed the Lord in spite of things seeming illogical or even dangerous. Faith is confidence in our hope and assurance in the unseen (v. 1). In other words, faith is the willingness to trust a bigger picture than what we experience.
Hebrews 11 ends in a bit of mystery: these saints had great faith, but they didn’t receive the promises so that we would be perfected together (vv. 39-40). This wouldn’t make much sense apart from Hebrews 12:1-2. Jesus is the perfecter of our faith. Jesus, who suffered and yet knew divine joy in the midst of it.
Our faith is only finished through Christ, and we really only experience that joy of completion through suffering. Paul talks about it as well, in Romans 8:17. There is something profound to be experienced in the kind of faith that suffers. It is not something we want or seek, but in it can be found a deep source of joy.
Author: Deanna Hayden
