She tied the scarlet cord in the window

By: carole l. haines

What exactly does faith look like? And how can I know that I have faith?  Hebrews 11 gives us the perfect definition of faith.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (vs. 1 NASB)

In verse 6 of the same chapter we are told, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

We all want to please God, not out of dread, but out of gratefulness for all that He has done, is doing, and promises to do for us.  Hebrews 11 is referred to as The Hall of Faith, and such it is.  Each story, is a breath-taking account of how God did the impossible, through frail and ordinary people.  People like you and I.  Faith can be seen in Noah building the ark when the world had never yet seen a flood. Faith can be seen in Abraham offering up his son, Isaac, and God staying his hand.  Faith can be seen in Joshua leading the people into the Promised Land, after the death of Moses. I’m sure Joshua thought Moses would be doing that, but God passed it down to Joshua, and promised to be with him even as He had been with Moses.  And so, we come to the story where I found the Title for this post, the story of Rahab. ³¹ By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace. (Hebrews 11:31 NASB)

Rahab tied the scarlet cord in the window in faith. Go and read the whole story in Joshua 2, it’s wonderful. Jesus is spoken of as “the scarlet thread,” running throughout all of Scripture.  He is the one who ties it all together, the Alpha and Omega.  The Bible is really the story of Jesus, the Son of God, and His love for the people of God.   So what does faith in Jesus really look like?  I believe it is found in the simple acts of obedience we are called to daily.  The laying down our rights, and taking up mercy, kindness, and grace.  The willingness to be wronged by another, forgiving them, and trusting God to restore what was taken from us by their sin.  It is found in hospitals as people pray to receive Jesus, just before they die.  It is found on battlefields, in boardrooms, lunchrooms, buses, trains, planes.  Faith, most of all, is found in the hearts of those who know that life is just too big for them to live alone. Faith is found when we admit our weakness, and reach out to God for strength.  It is found when we realize we just can’t be good enough, and reach out to Jesus as Savior.  It is found when God calls us to do what we feel we cannot do, and we take that step out, and the Holy Spirit takes over, and works through us.
We all carry Scarlet cords of faith inside ourselves. Let us tie those scarlet cords outside our windows and display our faith in God.  He is glorified by our little acts of faith, which He multiplies immeasurably.