By Faith We Understand

Hebrews 11:1-3

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

On the Philippine Islands, there was a young Japanese Army intelligence officer named Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda. At the end of World War 2, Onoda refused to believe that the war was over and vowed to fight to the death. Faithful to his emperor, he would continue the fight for nearly thirty years. In the early 1970s, the Philippine government contacted the unwavering lieutenant's former commanding officer to order him to lay down his arms and finally go home. On March 9, 1974, at the age of 52 and twenty-nine years after the war had ended, Lt. Hiroo Onoda surrendered and came home.

From the perspective of this man, the war was still going on. He could not believe anything otherwise. Attempts were made to convince him that the war was over. Leaflets were dropped with orders to surrender and that the war was over. Other methods of communication were employed but Hiroo refused to believe. In his eyes, the war was raging on and he had to fight to the end. He did not understand the reality of change that had taken place beyond the small island that he was on. There was a whole other world beyond his perspective. Yet he unnecessarily lived in the nightmarish conditions of war for nearly thirty years because he could not see and accept what was beyond his post.

There is a whole other world beyond what we see. Yet if we do not have the ability to see this other world, we will miss the whole plan of God for us. I am talking about the spiritual world, having spiritual vision. Believing the impossible, believing the supernatural, believing the truth of God’s Word! But how do we understand all of this? The answer lies within the beginning of verse number 3 of Hebrews 11 “Through faith we understand…”

We will not understand a lot in this life if we only process things with our natural senses. The natural man cannot receive the things of God (1 Cor. 2:14) The struggle to understand life's difficulties and hardships will cause many to question, even despise God. But if you understand things by faith you can obtain victory! The Bible describes the saints of old who... subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. (Heb.11:33-34). They did this all through faith. Not because of natural talent, fortitude of character, or personal strength but because they understood everything through faith.

They not only wrought great victories by faith but also endured the hardness of trials by faith. Hebrews speaks of Moses who chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season (Heb.11:25) Why did he choose affliction over the pleasures of sin? How did he endure the hardships and the reproach? By faith, he saw Him who is invisible (Heb. 11:27)

He could see the value of spiritual things above earthly things. In fact, Moses' view of eternal things was so strong that he even looked beyond his own time and seen the riches of Christ to come. (Heb. 11:26) Your life may be surrounded by affliction or a circumstance may be leaving you with an endless stream of questions, but if you can see all these things through faith, victory will be yours!