Sauntering

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.

Hebrews 11:1-2

 As I longed to be out on the mountain trails this summer, the following quote by John Muir, writer and naturalist, caught my eye:

“People ought to saunter in the mountains, not hike! …people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going, they would reply, ‘A la sainte terre, to the Holy Land.’ And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers.”

It is becoming obvious to me that I ought to saunter through Scripture, not in a rush to get to the end of the passage. While preaching through Hebrews 11 this year, our pastor unearthed the myriad of detail in the lives of the faithful who have gone before us.

Look at all those names: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel. Hebrews catches the essence of their faith; yet there is so much more. I cannot rush on. I am compelled to turn the pages backwards and explore—saunter if you will.

By faith…by faith…by faith framed their lives. Abel was commended as a righteous man. Enoch pleased God. Noah became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. Abraham obeyed and went. And that was only the beginning.

But how did they live? The details are worth the time spent. In spite of the obstacles, they lived in reverent fear of the Lord in the essential things. To believe in advance what will only make sense in reverse—that’s what faith is about: being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (11:1).

How then shall we live? We too live by faith, in reverent fear, amidst the stumbling blocks we encounter. Thankfully we have a new and living way opened to us through the curtain, that is, his (Jesus’) body (10:20).

Come saunter with me a little this week as we continue to seek the reverent fear of God. The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love (Psalm 147:11).

Nancy P

All Scripture quotations are from the NIV 1973, 1978, 1984, unless otherwise noted.