"Power of One" Echoes Throughout Scripture
As we gear up for another series of important elections, I’ve been thinking small (as opposed to “thinking big”).
Consider how one expression of patriotism from U.S. hockey player Jack Hughes inspired the nation after his team won gold at the Olympics. In the past week, I’d venture to guess that one answered prayer encouraged a community of believers. One home-cooked meal brought a family closer together. And one hard-earned vote made hours of canvassing feel worthwhile to a weary candidate.
This “power of one” echoes throughout scripture, with Hebrews 11 giving an epic overview known as the “Hall of Faith.” Many of the actions and experiences listed in the passage seem huge to us, while others seem rather small. Here are a few for the sake of comparison:
By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did.
By faith Noah. . . built an ark to save his family.
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.
By faith Jacob. . . worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
Single acts of faith. Single individuals.
I don’t know about you, but I’m deeply encouraged by the names and corresponding acts of faith celebrated throughout Hebrews 11. God works through the faith of single individuals, faulty as we are, to accomplish unfathomable miracles. He also works through our faith to advance His kingdom in ways we’ll never perceive this side of heaven.
Building more than the USA
I often publish articles about things we can do to help “keep our Republic.” This time I just wanted to pause and encourage you in the countless ways you’re already living by faith. Have you ever made a donation to take advantage of a matching fund? God’s provision for our sacrifices is like the ultimate matching fund. When we act in faith, the ripples God makes are unimaginable, reaching so much farther than our own lives, our nation’s borders, or our generation. No matter what happens to the United States of America, your acts of faith in the name of Christ, big and small, culminate toward a far greater purpose—the kingdom of God! Again, consider Abraham …
By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (Hebrews 11:9-10)
We see here a clue about the mindset of Abraham and the other ancients in the Hall of Faith. This mindset anchors their actions:
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. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:13-16)
Friends, the United States of America is not our destiny! Isn’t that great news? Of course, our work for the nation matters. But like our spiritual forefathers, we recognize that we are ultimately “foreigners and strangers on earth.” We are ambassadors of the heavenly kingdom, put on earth to glorify Christ and point others to Him. So let’s keep our sights on “a better country—a heavenly one.”
In the meantime, we faithfully steward every place God sets our feet. Anchored in the counsel of his word and his people, we follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit—whether they seem way too big to tackle or way too small to matter. Maybe we’ll witness miracles beyond our wildest dreams, and maybe we won’t. But according to Hebrews 11:1, “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” That means every prayer we utter or brick we lay, in the name of Jesus, builds something so much greater than our own lives and communities.
It builds heavenly ones.
So keep going. Cast that vote; work that poll; teach that child; plant that garden; build that business; intervene in that life; make that sacrifice; pray that prayer. Live by faith, for the now, and the not yet.
