Hebrews 11:23-31
Here are the concluding verses of our reading from Hebrews for today: “By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace” (Hebrews 11:29-31). What a strange collection of people! We have fleeing Hebrews, drowning Egyptians, a collapsing city, and a righteous prostitute, all of whom are touched in one way or another—for good or ill––by faith in the God of Jacob. It doesn’t seem to make much sense until I look out the window (or into a mirror) and remember what the world is like today. Try making sense of your own life in terms of faith. Try finding a neat, concise way to sum up God’s work day in and day out. I find it very difficult to deal with such issues without falling back onto worn platitudes or dog-eared expressions.
Yes, we live in a time of contradiction and conflict and confusion, yet God is able to work through it in ways that may be unclear to us but which serve the divine purpose. Even when we look back on history we may not understand what we see. The world defies our attempt at easy explanations and even God stands beyond our ability to categorize or predict, but that does not mean all is lost. Sometimes it just means is that we need to take a deep breath and trust God. Thankfully, God’s work does not depend on our understanding. What a muddle that would be.
Prayer: Lord, we do not always know what you are about, but we trust you and depend on your grace in our lives. Help us to live as your people day in and day out. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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