Walking by Faith – The State of Being Homeless This Side of Heaven
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Our world seems very unstable these days and the issue of homelessness has increased to such a point that in many of our big cities across the country, the resources available to the homeless through non-profit and church organizations are tapped out. It’s a devastating situation that deeply grieves my heart and God has used it to open my eyes to what this faith walk is all about.
A Divine Revelation
This famous faith passage above comes from what is referred to as the “faith hall of fame” chapter in the New Testament. This chapter features several of the saints of God who understood the state of being homeless on this side of heaven. Their obedience to God amid difficult circumstances was evidence that they knew how to walk by faith and not by sight. What brought them hope and what did they find assurance in? Well, their hope and assurance were definitely not in the things of this world that’s for sure! Even though they were homeless on this side of heaven, they were not hopeless. Their faith in God and His promises gave them “the assurance of things hoped for.”
The truth be told, as believers, we too are homeless on this side of heaven because this earth is not our home. As cliche as this might sound, this attitude is what walking by faith is all about. The issue of homelessness has become a literal reality for one of my Christian friends who has no permanent residence, no livelihood to bank on, and no job options due to age. Sadly, even the church has failed miserably to offer them any real solutions or assistance. Yet despite their homelessness, their faith in God, who is faithful has been remarkable! He has not disappointed them either. Every day He shows up right on schedule to provide the manna (bread) they need to sustain themselves at that moment. Whether it’s a temporary place to stay or a momentary job that comes their way to meet an expense they have. God is providing for them, and they are discovering a life-changing dependency on Him and an incredible witness to everyone around them! Daily I am humbled by their faith in God, and I am challenged to walk in greater faith and with greater dependency on God because of what I see in them.
Another component of walking by faith that God wants us to learn is “a conviction of things unseen.” What does this aspect of faith look like? Without faith based on “a conviction of things unseen, ” we would have no “assurance of things hoped for”. Faith in an invisible God embraces the miraculous life, death, and resurrection of God’s incarnate Son (conviction of things unseen), and the power that assertion (confession) has to save us so we can receive the ultimate hope of heaven (assurance of things hoped for). This faith in Jesus, our confidant, our friend, and the lover of our souls also makes us children of God! As children of God, we are not alone no matter what happens in this life! Abba Father is our constant companion through every storm, trial, and difficult circumstance, through joy and sorrow, laughter and pain and His Word promises us that “He will never leave us or forsake us!”
A Divine Challenge
Through this time of homelessness, my friend has experienced His constant presence through everything they are going through. He is their strength, refuge, and source of help when no one else is there. Losing most of what they have, by way of earthly possessions, has freed them up to hunger for what truly satisfies their souls. They find ways to serve God daily and to still give to others from the little they have. While others play church on Sundays, they have church daily. While others only speak about the goodness of God, they live the goodness of God. By watching them, I have learned volumes about walking by faith as I embrace what it means to be homeless on this side of heaven.
Do we truly understand that all of us are homeless on this side of heaven? Is our faith based on an “assurance of things hoped for” and “a conviction in things unseen”? If we found ourselves homeless, would our current dependency on God be enough to sustain us?
Call to Action
With the world in crisis, we all may have to readjust our priorities and downsize our lives as we walk by faith. How well we do this in light of what it may cost us, may be the crowning moment of our faith as well as our witness. If we want the world to believe that God is faithful and heaven is real, we need to embrace the state of being homeless on this side of heaven and point them to the eternal hope that is ours in Christ Jesus.
Father, if we hold tightly to the things of this world, we may be unable to let go of them when difficult circumstances require us to. No one truly knows what the future holds for us in the United States. The Word of God painted a pretty vivid picture of the end of times that says things will get a lot more difficult. We may face great persecution and yes, the loss of worldly possessions. I pray we will be ready and willing to give up whatever God asks us to when that time comes to point others to our eternal hope. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen!