I read through these chapters this morning. I was struck by the seamless flow. They are not like the chapters of a book that discuss different themes. They are the flow of a letter that means to bring the reader to a specific place. A place of trust, of rest, and complete confidence. The letter to the Hebrews was written as an encouragement to a persecuted church. A tool to build up the believers. A reminder of the finished work of Christ with all of its accomplishments.
Jesus is the central figure in the letter. His atoning death the main theme. His Lordship our confidence. As we begin to trust in all that Jesus has accomplished, we come into absolute assurance. We are moved by faith into a realm of things that are unseen. A confident expectation that everything the Father had purposed from the beginning will continue to take place. We don't need faith to create better situations. We walk in faith so that we may see the things for which we hope. So we don't give up in the journey. So we will not lose heart.
To be sure, the Early Church had its struggles. The persecution they faced was unreal. Part of the encouragement that we read focuses us upon the faith of those who have gone on before. Those who trusted the will and heart of God despite difficult circumstances. There are those who had no physical reason to hope. Some who had to believe that God could raise the dead. Others who trusted Him in spite of death. They were assured that even though they had not seen it in this lifetime, there was life after this life. A confident expectation that their last breath in this world meant a quickening breath in the next.
Too often our circumstances get the better of us. This is especially true when we have "trusted" for the same thing over and over again. Or maybe we continue to be hurt by people even though we have believed that we are walking with the Father in relationships. Regardless of the situation, I encourage you to change your focus. To fix your gaze, as the writer of Hebrews does, upon Jesus. He is the Author and Finisher of Faith. And what He started in you, He will complete. Look at what He endured. The difficulty that He would have to press through. Why? Because of the joy that was set before Him.
Have you ever considered that Jesus could have given up? Have you ever thought that He could have said at any moment that it wasn't worth it. That we were not worth it? And yet He kept going. He trusted in the Father's love. He believed, wholeheartedly, that what He was doing mattered. That the Father would redeem, rescue, and reconcile. That He would become the firstborn among many brethren. He offered Himself to this mission. He gave Himself for our good. This is Jesus. He is your encouragement through the difficulties. He is your joy in the celebrations. He continually moves you, through His Spirit, into a place of rest in Him. He creates an environment of trust in your heart. A confidence that will not be shaken.
Faith is not an emotion, even though it stirs our emotions. It moves us beyond circumstances. It creates endurance and cultivates discipline. It reminds us to trust in the words the Lord has spoken over our lives. It is the reality in which we dwell. A place where the unseen is tangible. Where Heaven kisses Earth (as Ray Hughes would say) and we get caught in the smack.
It's one thing to say we believe in Jesus in the midst of everything. Faith moves us beyond that and says "I will live in its reality. I will continue to walk towards the Lord in spite of it all. Why? Because my hope is built on nothing less. I trust. I rest. I am confident that He is for me, not against me. There is nothing that can separate me from His love."
This journey (as with any journey) is filled with ups and downs. There will be winding turns and straight paths. There will be moments of exhilaration and exhaustion. Place your anchor beyond the veil of what is seen. Continue to hope. Never lose heart. As Journey would sing, "Don't Stop Believing..."
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