DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
Hebrews 11:17, 27-31 (01/09 or 01/22) Monday of the
Thirty-first Week after Pentecost
By Faith: Hebrews 11:17, 27-31, especially vs. 17: “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up
Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten
son.” The phrase, ‘by faith’ appears ten times in
this reading, and nearly twenty times in all of chapter eleven of Hebrews. In Saint Paul’s teaching about
faith, three elements stand out: 1) in each instance he cites someone who, with
little or no tangible data to prompt him, acts on God’s commands and
amazing results follow. 2) Each act
involved a risk, ranging from loss of life to the destruction of the very basis
for living. 3) Each act was a
response to God’s command or promise. Clearly, the Apostle is encouraging
trust in God to run with endurance the race the Lord sets before us (Heb.
10:39; 12:1) - in other words, to be one who lives ‘by faith.’
The key element in acting ‘by faith’ is
willingness to obey the commands or promises of God. To act this way today is unusual in
contemporary life and practice. Most
people operate by the rule of weighing options. Hence, today, there are companies whose
sole service is to provide “risk-assessment” for clients. In sales, assessments are called
‘market analysis.’
Political advisers use data from polls and surveys to help candidates
shape their efforts to be elected.
Beware: risk assessment may be profoundly contrary to informed obedience
to God!
To approach our life and choices by faith is tantamount to
praying earnestly, “Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy
statutes” (Ps. 118:12). Note:
it takes several steps to live by faith.
We have to open our hearts to God, learn from Him and accept His
purposes for our lives. Hence, it is urgent to understand what God expects,
what He promises, and what He has revealed concerning His will. All this requires attention to the sources
of revelation in Holy Tradition: Scripture, the teachings of the Holy Fathers,
and the Holy Spirit’s guidance in the Church.
Most of all, faithful Christians must be immersed in
prayer, worship, and the regular reception of the Holy Mysteries to become
finely attuned to “...the things of the Spirit” (Rom. 8:5). In doing so, we face God’s demand
for purity and the surrender of self to the Lord. In a myriad of occasions, we will learn
to obey without knowing what consequences will follow (e.g., Acts 20:22). Indeed, let us obey God as a way of
life, and learn to do so naturally and instantly. We need to invest ourselves when we say,
“Blessed art Thou, O Lord; teach me Thy Statutes.”
If we accept obedience to God as the foundation for daily
living, it is much easier to act freely without fretting about outcomes and,
then, accept little tangible evidence to support our actions. We need to guard against acting in ways
that are ‘obviously’ effective, but rather to act prayerfully as
God directs. May we make obedience to
the Lord the ground of our decisions, not obsessing about outcomes, but
ever desiring His highest and best, and living thereby.
Take an example from the reading: God kept His promise to
give the Patriarch Abraham a son as an heir from his own body, yet the Lord
tested Abraham’s obedience.
He said, “Take now
your beloved son, Isaac, whom you love, and go into the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a whole burnt offering on
one of the mountains I will tell you” (Gn. 22:2). To offer Isaac as a holocaust would be
to destroy the son who would fulfill God’s promise. However, Abraham opted for the path of
obeying God. His choice involved a
great personal risk for the Patriarch in his relationship with God. Thus, Abraham became a model of the way
to live by faith: obey God without question and rely upon the Lord for the
highest and best results.
O God, Thou knowest that I can do
nothing without Thy guidance and help.
Direct me to divine wisdom that I may undertake all I do faithfully and
diligently according to Thy will.
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