by Ali Koomen

Created on: December 17, 2010   Last Updated: December 22, 2010

Faith is intangible.  You can’t see it, touch it, smell it.  It just is.  Hebrews 11:1 describes it this way: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

For many people, that explanation is not good enough.  They need the why’s and wherefore’s; in their world, if they cannot see it or if there is not proof of it, therefore it must not exist.  Having faith is a letting go of the questions surrounding God’s existence, of single- mindedly believing that He is.

It would be a sad, scary existence to not have faith in God and the life that awaits for us beyond.  If we’re being perfectly honest, it’s also a little scary to have faith in God.  To just believe, to know that you are right in your beliefs without being able to back it up with tangible proof, that sort of faith is hard to come by.  However, without it, it is impossible to be a Christian.

When asked to explain what faith is and how it is possible to embody that belief, look to Hebrews 11.  In fact, verse six sums it up perfectly: And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.

  Many major people in biblical times were asked to prove their faith.  Noah trusted that God would flood the earth, as He said he would.  Noah’s faith was so great that, despite ridicule from his neighbors, he built an ark and gathered livestock to weather the devastating flood.   It’s hard to stay you’re your convictions when so many people deride your faith, but Noah’s was so great that he knew he had to believe in what God told him.  Job had faith, time and again, when God and Satan faced off. Job’s beliefs were repeatedly being mauled at by Satan. No matter how many times he was struck so low, Job held steadfast in his belief in God, and in God’s love for him. Consider Rahab’s faith, so great that she would promise to aid Joshua’s men, while she had no real reason to do so. Although she was not Jewish, when she heard of the power that God had, she turned away from the worship of gods and showed, by her actions, the faith she had on The One God.

 While there are many good stories that exemplify what it means to have faith, consider the life of Abraham.  The faith he  had was astonishing.  Time and

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