Week 1: Session 2 Read Hebrews 11: 1-22 I'm still wondering how well Jacob slept at night. As we'll see, he made more than his share of enemies, and found himself in any number of tight places. Around every corner, he found himself in situations he had never faced before. I wonder if he recited his God-promise over and over until his eyes could close and his brain slow down. Jacob living in the tension of a "not yet fulfilled" promise is a theme I've found easier to understand these past few months. Maybe you too? In Hebrews 11, we study a listing of the heroes of our faith. Men (and women) who made a choice to believe God especially when their life circumstances were difficult. The definition of faith comes in the very first verse of the chapter, "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." We come to Abraham's story in verse 8, how he left his home and set out for another without knowing where he was going. And once he arrived, he didn’t come in as a conqueror—he lived in a tent as an immigrant. Believing a promise doesn’t necessarily mean that we have it in hand. It means that we're able to receive something which doesn't necessarily look or feel the way we had imagined. If told you would inherit a land, what would you expect? Verse 9 says Abraham "lived there by faith." What do you think “to live by faith” means anyway? How did Abraham keep going? (vs. 10) How can we keep going? In verse 16, What did Jacob and Abraham long for? You know, when I started this study about nine months ago, I still thought of Jacob's story as, well, just that--a story. Kind of like the highlights of a big game-- where we only saw the action plays and not all the down time in between. Now I am realizing that while God's promise is there in all the turbulent places of our lives, He's also there for all the days in between. And the way Abraham and Jacob got through all of their days-- the big ones and the in-between days-- was to keep their eyes on what lay ahead, the day when that promise would be fulfilled. The true end of all of our promises is that every tear will be wiped away in a city where the sun will not need to shine because Jesus will be the only light we need. And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” Rev 21:5 NLT Dear sister, read Revelation 21 now to be reminded that we do know our ending. We can live our days knowing that this life is temporary, what is coming is eternal, and that He has promised to be with us through it all. Journaling prompt Journal about your experiences during the past months of quarantine and anxiety over Covid-19. What has that been like for your family? What have been your challenges? Where has God met your needs?
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