Patti Burris

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:7

⁷ By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. 

Hebrews 11:29-30

²⁹ By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. ³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.

The scriptures above are found in the faith verses of Hebrews 11. They all have one thing in common: God performed a miracle when Noah, Moses and Joshua stepped out in faith and obeyed what God told them to do. They could not see the future, but they trusted God to protect them. In faith, they took physical action and the miracles happened.

The story of Noah can be found in Genesis 6-9. God told Noah to build an ark, because He was going to wipe out mankind. He was done with their sinful ways. Noah was a righteous man, so God told Noah to build an ark to house Noah’s family and the animals. Noah could have sat in disobedience, thinking God was crazy, but he didn’t. Noah took that step of faith, built the ark and God saved Noah’s life and the lives of his family members. Not only did God save their lives, He sent a rainbow as a covenant between Himself and Noah, that He would never wipe out all of mankind again. We wouldn’t have the miracle of a rainbow, if Noah had not taken that step of faith.

In Exodus 14, we see the Israelites running in fear from the Egyptians. God tells Moses to tell the Israelites to move on. I can almost see the confused looks on the faces of the Israelites as they look ahead at the impassable Red Sea and wonder if Moses has gone insane. God tells Moses to raise his staff and stretch out his hand over the sea. Moses obeys and God parts the Red Sea, so the Israelites cross on dry ground. As soon as the Israelites had crossed over, Moses again stretches out his hand and the sea goes back into place drowning the entire army of Pharaoh that had pursued them. Because Moses took that step of faith and raised his staff over the Red Sea, God performed a miracle in parting the sea and saving His children, the Israelites.

In Joshua 6, we see the Israelites marching around Jericho. When Joshua found out what God wanted him to do, he could have said, “God, these people will never do it. They will think I’ve lost my mind,” but he didn’t. Joshua takes that step of faith and the walls came tumbling down.

God wants us to partner with Him. He gives us a chance to be a part of His miracles, but we often miss the miracles, because we don’t take that step of faith. God is still in the miracle making business. We simply need to have the faith to take the physical action that God is telling us to take, before a miracle can happen.

What is the “ark” God is asking you to build to save you from the floods of life? What is the “Red Sea” in your life that God is asking you to stretch your arm over? What are the “walls” in your life that need circling before they will come tumbling down?

The Challenge:

No matter the circumstances in our lives, God can and will perform a miracle. Take the time, right now, to sit in prayer and ask God what action He wants you to take, so that He can perform a miracle in your life. Whether you are facing a flood, a “Red Sea” or a wall, God will bring you through it, just as He did with Noah, Moses and Joshua. What steps of faith is God asking you to take to deal with situations in your life?

If you need more inspiration, read the rest of the testimonies of faith found in Hebrews 11 and allow God to strengthen the faith muscle in you. Take that step of faith and watch your own walls come tumbling down.