Follow His Revelation In Faith!

Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen,” KJV.  The New Living Translation states it thus, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” We must follow, in faith, the revelation of Jesus Christ as revealed in God’s Word.

The shepherds of Luke 2 were so driven by their experience of the revelation that they were compelled by their faith to seek out the truth of the angel's proclamation. Luke 2:15, “And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.”

The wise men of Matthew 2 followed the star by faith to find the Savior. Their understanding of the scriptures and desire to experience the promise compelled them to seek out the truth of the prophecy. Matt. 2:10, “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”

Faith is essential to our discovery of the promised Messiah! The fact of our need and desire for faith was impressed upon me recently while listening to traditional Christmas music. One phrase really stood out to me and it is for that reason that I want to share my thoughts. The song was “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and I have included it here.

“Some day soon we all will be together

If the fates allow.

Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow,

And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.”

The line that really impressed me was, “if the fates allow,” with particular emphasis on the word “fate.” The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “fate” as a state or end seemingly decided beforehand. Synonyms include circumstance, destiny, fortune, kismet, lot, and portion. Faith is essential to our discovery of the promise of Messiah and our salvation! Our search for this revelation must be driven by faith in God’s promise. Our search must be deliberate and in no way influenced by the secular idea of “fate.” (continued)