Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Our world is filled with questions. Mask, no mask. Vaccine, no vaccine. Government dictates, individual freedoms. Large corporations, small business. And I could go on. So many things are being questioned at this critical point in human history, and there is not agreed upon path to clear out the way forward.
So how do we see clearly in a foggy moral and ethical minefield? How do we proclaim Truth in a world where “my truth” trumps all other truths. Two plus two can equal five. “At least they knew it was more than two! Let’s give them credit for trying.”
Our text is the middle of three exhortations that the writer penned in an effort to help these Jewish believers stand tall in their faith. Draw near to God with a sincere heart. Hold unswervingly to the hope. Consider how to spur each other on in the faith. Each one pushes us a bit more toward faithfulness in our walk.
Specifically our text speaks about hope. It can be difficult, when we are focusing on the present moment, to have hope. It seems as though the foundations of our culture are under attack. And if the foundations are under attack, then the rest of the building is getting ready to crumble.
That is the big problem with focusing on the present moment. If that is all we see, then we had better throw up our hands in despair. The present moment has nothing to engender hope. All it can offer is ever-increasing problems that will overwhelm us all.
We must, instead, remember our profession of faith. What do we believe about this world and the world to come? Who is really in charge and bringing about His will? Can He be trusted?
Our text tells us that Jesus is faithful. He won’t go back on His promises. He will remain faithful. He doesn’t change His mind. But we have to be willing to raise our eyes beyond the current horizon in order to see Jesus. He is present, but He is also standing in the future with arms outstretched.
He has rescued us from the urgency of the expedient, and given us a glimpse of the eternal, permanent world. He has conquered sin, and will one day remove the impact of that sin when eternity overtakes time. He gives us His Holy Spirit who testifies to us of the reality of the Truth proclaimed in the Gospel.
I think we too often are unwilling to feast on the spiritual food offered in the Scriptures. We want short platitudes and instant pick-me-up memes. We want milk and not solid food. We aren’t willing to spend time chewing our spiritual food. We want it pre-digested!
Next time you feel panic about the future of our world, unable to stop the rapid thoughts and heartbeat, I would suggest, in fact implore you to get into His Word. He will anchor your soul. He is faithful.
We must hold on tightly to the hope we have received, if in fact we have received hope. We must not allow the current momentary crisis to unseat Jesus from the throne of our hearts. It is in those very moments when we must affirm Jesus place in our lives. He is the only One who can steady us in turbulent times.
The Arnold Journey 