Week 37: September 7-13, 2025 - Follow God Anyway!

This week’s daily readings:

This week’s devotional:

Follow God Anyway!

by Rev. Justin Elerath

Scripture:

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 

— Hebrews 11:1-3 (NIV) 

Reflection:

The “Hall of Faith” is how people usually refer to Hebrews chapter 11. This title comes from the fact that, from verse 2 all the way to the end of the chapter, the author is listing biblical figures who have demonstrated great faith by their actions. A distinction is made between belief and faith. Faith is active; it requires that we trust in the promises of God. It requires that we trust in the will of God and follow his will. 

We believe that there is one God, yet we are set apart from demons who believe the same thing but do not have confidence or hope in what has not yet come to pass. They know that they will have to pay the consequences of their sin. In faith, the heroes of the Bible acted on what they believed. Hebrews 11:13 explains that “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.” 

So, what does it look like to “live by faith”? If we examine the story of Noah, we get an idea of what that means. To truly live by faith, we are required to act. Yet, doing so means there is a risk to the one who has faith. Noah built an ark on dry land before the earth had ever experienced rain, and it took him 100 years to build this! I would imagine that he had to endure some ridicule. Building a boat is going to come at a cost. Noah had to be willing to foot the bill, just because he was told to do so. 

When we live by faith, we are in constant communion with God so that we can be in tune with his will. Sometimes following his will means just putting one foot in front of another, even when we can’t see where we are placing our feet.

When was the last time you took a step of faith where you had to trust that God’s will is better than yours, yet you followed God anyway? 

Prayer:

All-knowing God, we believe your will is best and yet, at times, we have trouble following that will. How many times did Jesus have to rebuke his disciples, accusing them of having little faith? Knowing we are in good company is little comfort! Help us to increase our faith by drawing closer to you. Give us the assurance of knowing your will and the courage to act upon it, even when we can’t be sure where it will lead. Send your Holy Spirit to show us the way and increase our confidence in what you have promised. In Jesus’ holy name, Amen.