“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
Hebrews 10:23
People can be stubborn sometimes. I once watched a standoff in a fast food parking lot where two cars were trying to get through the same space at the same time, but neither was willing to move out of the way. They just sat in their cars honking and waiting for the other to back down. It took a while for someone to give up.
We can all be stubborn at times, especially when it involves something we really want, love, or believe in. A businessman can work relentlessly to make his project successful even in the face of several failures. A person in love can forgive a boatload of wrongs just to keep their lover around. An angry driver can refuse to reverse his car just to be the first to get through. It comes in any number of forms.
But does that same level of determination apply to our faith, or is it more flexible? The writer of Hebrews tells us to “hold unswervingly to” our faith and the hope that it provides. Unswervingly, not veering to the right or to the left, but straight ahead. This is the one thing that we can always afford to be stubborn about, the one thing we never have to accept defeat about or back down from. Why? Not because we did anything to stand behind, but because God did. God is faithful, and he always will be. Our faith and our hope are based in the promise of salvation through Jesus Christ and we can be sure of it because God is faithful to keep his promises.
A business venture may fail, a lover may leave, or you may just be driving in the wrong lane. Sometimes we’re wrong. Sometimes the thing we’ve committed so strongly to, the thing we’re most stubborn about can fall out from under us. If it has ever happened to you, you know how it can feel like everything in the world just got flipped upside down. You were standing on what you thought was solid ground, but it fell out from under you like quicksand.
There is one thing and one thing only that will never, ever let that happen to you. That is our God. He is faithful, even when we are faithless. He is good, even when we are wicked. He loves us even when we forget about him. He is faithful. Therefore, let us hold unswervingly to our faith in Him and him alone and be confident in the hope that we have through Jesus Christ. Be strong and secure in the knowledge that you have been redeemed, that salvation has been promised, and He who promises is faithful.
Prayer:
God,
Thank you for your faithfulness. Thank you for never failing me, leaving me, or forgetting me. I pray that you will open my eyes to see you in my life and to never forget your presence. Help me to be faithful as you are faithful. Help me to live my life in light of the hope that you have promised.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
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