Weary, But Not Unaccompanied--September 27, 2021

Weary, But Not Unaccompanied--September 27, 2021

"And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets--who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight." [Hebrews 11:32-34]

It comes down to this: you are not alone.

I really do think that's why the writer of Hebrews keeps on retelling us these family stories of faith, stretching all the way back to creation and through the patriarchs and matriarchs of Israel's story.  Yes, they are all examples of lives lived in faith.  And yes, he wants us to know that faith may take any number of different forms, so that we'll know it doesn't have to fit some cookie cutter expression in our lives.  But more than that, I think he wants us to know, like deep down in our bones, that we are not alone in this.

Sometimes that's what it takes to be able to keep going in this life, isn't it?  Sometimes whatever you have been called to do on any given day can feel as daunting as conquering a kingdom, facing a lion, taking on a fire, or staring down an enemy with a sword.  Sometimes just living our daily lives while treating people with decency and kindness these days can feel as exhausting as fighting a battle, and the last eighteen months of our lives sure have made us all feel more isolated as we do it all, haven't they?  Sometimes the isolation has come from lockdowns, visitor limits, and missed get-togethers, and sometimes we have felt cut off from folks because our different ways of handling the pandemic have exposed--and widened--rifts between us that feel like they have become chasms.  It ain't easy living this life, especially as people of faith, in this moment we have been given to life through.  And so maybe we especially need the assurance: we are not alone in this.

When the writer of Hebrews notes all that these other older sisters and brothers in the faith did and endured in their lives, I don't think he's doing it to make us feel bad when we lament about our own struggles.  I don't think the intention is to say, "Well, all of these other people came out victorious in their times, which were even harder than yours--so quit complaining about your problems and suck it up!"  Rather, just the opposite--I think the point is more to say, "We aren't the first ones to go through difficult times or face harrowing situations among the people of God.  But all of those other generations of God's people were carried through their own situations by trusting in the God who claimed them.  And so you can rest assured, too, that the same God will get us through this time, too."  It's not meant to chastise us for feeling worn down or criticize us if our faith seems wobbly.  These stories are meant to strengthen us when we're in those places with the knowledge that others have been where we are, and God was with them, too.

That's not a blanket promise of success on our terms--after all, everyone in the list from our verses today had times of deep loss and profound failure, from Gideon to David.  But it does mean that God will be with us through all those times, just as God has been with all those older sisters and brothers in faith, too. Their struggles illuminate ours so that we have a little more light to walk by in this day, and we'll be able to see the next step in front of us.  And then the next after that, and the next after that.  We may be weary, but we are not unaccompanied. 

That's how we do this life: one step at a time, and never alone.

That's enough to go on in this new day.

Lord God, give us the faith to trust you--and then don't let us down--as we step into this new day you are giving us.