Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1 ESV).

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Every couple of years, my family and I wonder where we’ll live next. We rank the locations we hope for in order of favorites, and then we wait for the military to give us orders. Sometimes, the location is really exciting, but more often than not, it’s a place that wasn’t even on the original list. There’s simply no way to know the outcome, and once those orders are dropped, there’s virtually nothing you can do to change it. That hasn’t always been easy, but almost 18 years of marriage to a military man has taught me to step out in faith and trust God before I ever understand His plan for our next duty station.  

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Hebrews 11:1 indicates faith often comes before we can see the big picture or final outcome. It’s assurance and conviction that flows from what we know about God, not what we know about our circumstances. This is the vision that sustains our faith – the trustworthy character of God and the promise of heaven. This kind of vision equips us to obey God regardless of outcome. Hebrews 11, also known as the “Hall of Faith” chapter, lists people who remind us God is worth following even when we can’t see beyond our present circumstances. It reminds us of people like Noah who built an ark before there was ever rain, and of Abraham who left the only home he’d ever known before knowing his destination. It tells of people who were conquerors, justice enforcers, wanderers, and more (Heb.11:32-38). Though their stories are different, they all chose to act in faith before they knew the earthly outcome. Their faith wasn’t measured by whether or not life turned out how they hoped, but by their choice to trust God regardless.

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God is asking us to trust Him before we have all the answers, too, yet we often still find ourselves evaluating our faith in light of our circumstances or placing conditions on God instead of choosing faith first:  ‍

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If God heals me, then I’ll believe He is good.

If God answers this prayer, then I’ll change the thing in my life that needs changing.

If God does ___, then I’ll ___.

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What would happen if we believed God anyway, even if we didn’t know the outcome or even when it didn’t have the ending we wanted? Look at how differently some of the above stories would’ve played out, had they not placed their faith in God before they knew the outcome. Take Daniel, for instance, who is likely the one being referenced in Hebrews 11. Daniel lived under a decree that criminalized praying to anyone other than King Darius. He could’ve chosen to hide his prayer life and pray to God in secret, yet he chose to boldly pray to God alone. In doing so, he acted in faith before he knew the outcome of his choices, and now his story is one of the most widely known stories in the Bible (Dan. 6). Had Daniel known before being thrown into the lion’s den he would be safe from being torn apart or devoured, we probably wouldn’t be reading about him now. The very thing faith requires – trust in God despite the unknown – is what makes this story so compelling.

Where would God take you if you stepped out in faith before you knew where the journey would take you? Most of us aren’t facing the threat of death when God calls us, but we all face things that ask us to exercise faith before we know what’s around the corner. It could be something like trusting God’s timing or believing He has a purpose for our pain. It could also be that we need to act in faith despite fear, disappointment, exhaustion, comparison, unanswered prayers or something else. Not knowing where the military will send my family next asks me to step out in faith, trusting God has a plan for us in our new place. Our vision expands when we walk with God through unexpected things. The people in Hebrews 11 weren’t any different than we are today. They were ordinary believers who simply accepted the call to look beyond their present circumstances to the One calling them. God asks the same for us. He is calling us to remember His promises and let the promise of eternity sustain our present faith, trusting that even before we know the outcome, God is still worthy of our faith.