The Substance of Faith

Grace for All

Hope, No Matter What

(our theme for September)

Hebrews 11: I (KJV)

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.”

Faith is difficult to define.

We say we have faith in our leaders, faith in our technology, faith in a process, but what does that mean? What does it mean to have religious faith?

The King James translation from Hebrews helps me to understand how faith works. Other translations say, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for” or” the reality of things hoped for,” but the word “substance” works best for me.

In this context, the word substance means “a tangible, solid presence.” In life we act in faith and do something of substance without being able to see the end result.

Let me share an example. In August of 2020, an intense storm called a derecho (pronounced dee-retcho) swept across the Midwest, carrying sustained straight-line winds of 80-100 mph and gusts of 140 mph. The city that caught the derecho head on was Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

For nearly an hour the storm raged across the community. When it passed, the majority of residential and commercial buildings were damaged, roads were impassable, and 95% of the city was left without power for days. But the damage that caused the most emotional anguish was the destruction of almost all mature trees in the city. Residents cried and mourned the loss of the beauty and protection of their beautiful trees. Then they picked up their chain saws and worked for months to clear the debris.

But that was not where faith came in. The substance of the community’s faith came from a project titled “Releaf.” (R-E-L-E-A-F). Volunteers began planting new trees immediately, on boulevards, in city parks, and around homes. Now, four years later over 42,000 trees have been planted within the city limits.

That is where faith came in. Most of the residents who planted new trees will not live long enough to see a mature tree canopy in their community. But the substance of their faith made them act in a way that would bring about things hoped for, even if it was not in their lifetime. That is the essence of our religious faith. We work for God’s will in the world even though we may never see the results of our efforts. Our faith actions become the evidence of things unseen.

Let us pray:

Dear God, remind us that when we act in faith, we can change the reality of the world we live in for the better. Keep us from despairing and let every one of our actions be substance for our faith in the future. Amen

Today’s devotional was written by Laura Derr and read by Sage Jonas.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

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First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.