Hebrews 11:39 "All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised."
The writer of Hebrews (maybe Paul) is commenting on some of the great heroes of the faith. He mentions Abraham and Moses and how their lives exemplified faith and how God blessed them. The writer then moves onto some lesser known examples who never gained fame but were instead beaten, tortured, and killed. He says these men and women too were people of faith even though they did not receive all that God had promised.
Often times we are called to suffer. A life of obedience to God does not always involve "heavenly blessings" and a "cattle on a thousand hills." Sometimes a life of faith does have it's high moments as with Moses and Abraham. But many times, it looks more like Stephen and martyrs who give their lives in places like modern day Somalia. I must be aware that my faith does not depend upon sunshine or rain, but rather it depends on my Jesus. I need to ground my faith not on my experiences or circumstances, but on the person.
Dear Jesus, help my eyes see you today. Amen.
