She Still Speaks

"By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, 

which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts.  

And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks."  

Hebrews 11:4, ESV

Do yourself a mighty favor this morning and take some time to read Hebrews 11 (called "The Hall of Faith").  I will not lie to you--the thought of reading through it intimidated me this morning because of the vast amount of history it holds.  However, once I started, I could not stop reading.  This passage held something new for me, and I sense God wanting to use it.  I believe that He will use it in your life today, too!  So, take a read.

Combing through the Hall of Faith, I decided to make a mental note of the verses that resonated.  Here are some of them (and I hope you can add your own to this list):

• the conviction of things not seen (v. 1)
• he still speaks (v. 4)
• having pleased God (v. 5)
• concerning events as yet unseen (v. 7)
• in reverent fear (v. 7)
• not knowing where he was going (v. 8)
• the city that has a foundation, whose designer and builder is God (v. 10)
• having seen them and greeted them from afar, having acknowledged that they were strangers...for people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.  If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.  But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city (v. 13-16)

That final section is the one that blew my mind.  Sisters, our faith speaks.  Gaze upon the faith of our Biblical ancestors...their faith is still speaking.  I am overwhelmed by the enormity and possibilities of faith coming to action, but its simplicity is in assurance and conviction of the things we cannot and do not see.  Verses 13-16 especially challenge us to trust God as we move into the next step, or the next phase, of our lives.  What if we moved forward, not "thinking of that land from which [we] had gone out", but desiring "a better country...a heavenly one"?  How beautiful is that?  How powerful?  How faith-filled?  It speaks.  

When have you recently been convicted of something unseen?  How has faith spoken in and through your life?  

Nichole Nordeman's "Legacy" is worth a listen.