December 8
Hebrews 11:1-7
1Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
Have Faith
by Toby Brooks, Ph.D.
I was all of 20 years old, and I had been reeling. It was January of 1995. After a difficult breakup, two college transfers in less than six months, and a mountain of financial woes and worries, I felt up against the figurative ropes in life.
But I was determined to persevere. I managed to find my way to my university’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes, where I quickly discovered fellowship, security, stability, and a steady study of God’s word.
It is no exaggeration to say that it changed my life.
As part of our group’s weekly Bible study, we moved into Hebrews. By the time we got to chapter 11 sometime late in the spring, I had found some footing in my new circumstances and was on the path to healing. But I wasn’t there yet. At the time, I recall the uneasy feeling of trudging ahead toward a degree and a future in which I was uncertain. I’d always been a planner, and the idea that the next few years of my life might involve new places I’d never been, new people I’d never met, and new opportunities I’d never considered was enough to keep me up late at night.
But then I was reminded of God’s encouragement He offers to those who have faith.
I printed Hebrews 11:1 out and posted it conspicuously behind my computer monitor in my room. Each time I’d pull up my chair to work on a paper or answer an email, I saw it. That steadying, calming reminder that through faith, I too could have an assurance in the things I had hoped for helped power me through. In a very real way, Hebrews 11:1 provided the focus that I needed to trust that God had a plan for me and that I was being faithful with that day’s step toward fulfilling it. But it would prove even better and more tangible than just that.
Home for Thanksgiving Break in November, I offered to help out at an old job where I had delivered appliances in high school and my first two years of college. A late-day gas range delivery to a nearby church parsonage afforded me the opportunity to meet a friendly Baptist pastor. And his beautiful daughter who also happened to be home from college on her school’s break.
On the back of her Baptist Student Union sweatshirt was Hebrews 11:1.
What a fantastic opportunity to spark up a conversation, I thought.
Now some 28 years later, that beautiful daughter I met on that day is my bride of 27 years. In the time since, I can see God’s hand at work. With the benefit of time, I can now see that in those moments of brokenness and despair that I spent lamenting what I was missing, God knew of a brighter day. And while my faith may have wavered, God’s word was bedrock reminding me that I didn’t need to see a future in order to have hope in it.
Instead, I could have confidence in what I hoped for and assurance for what I did not see.
I hope you will find strength in knowing that through faith, you can enjoy that confidence, too. Even more, in this season of Christmas, my hope and prayer is that each one of us would find reassurance in knowing that the peace does not require vision.
It requires faith.
About the Author
Toby Brooks, Ph.D.
Toby Brooks, Ph.D., joined Baylor University in July 2024 as director of the Academy for Teaching and Learning and as a clinical full professor in the Department of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation in Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences. He spent the past 14 years at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, where he most recently served as assistant dean of faculty success, program director of the Masters of Athletic Training, and a full professor in the School of Health Professions’ Department of Rehabilitation Sciences. He has served as an athletic trainer and strength and conditioning specialist in the NFL, minor league baseball, and nearly a dozen NCAA Division I and Division II universities, junior colleges, and secondary schools in a clinical career spanning more than two decades.
He has written and published 21 books, 17 journal articles, and is host of the critically acclaimed Becoming UnDone podcast, a global Top 5% show that helps listeners through the art of transforming unfinished goals into unstoppable growth—one inspiring story at a time. A first-generation college student, he holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Teaching and Teacher Education from The University of Arizona, an M.B.A. with a Specialization in Data Analytics from Louisiana State University Shreveport, a B.S. in Athletic Training from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and an A.S. from Southeastern Illinois College.