Hall of Fame of Faith

In the Bible, Hebrews chapter 11 is sometimes referred to as the “Hall of Fame of Faith” because it tells about people who were faithful to God to the end despite dealing with various hardships.

I can relate a little bit with Abraham’s call to leave his homeland and move to somewhere he has never been before. He probably thought he’d live out his whole life in Ur, but God had other plans. I thought I would live my whole life in my home state of Nebraska, but after the Air Force moved us to Illinois, God had us stay here. I told myself it’s only temporary. Even if I am here the rest of my life, it’s only temporary because my real home is in heaven. I don’t know what kind of thinking Abraham did to get himself moving in the direction God wanted him to go, but he did it! And besides this huge move, throughout most of their marriage Abraham and his wife, Sarah, dealt with infertility.

In the painting, the moving permanently part could be put on the side of ‘Delivered in heaven’ because they never did go back to Ur. The infertility was miraculously changed on earth with the birth of Isaac, so they could be on the ‘Delivered on earth’ side of the hall, too. They were considered faithful because they believed God’s promises to them.

In the beginning of the book of Job in the Bible, Satan tells God that of course Job is faithful because look at all the blessings He has bestowed on him. God allows Satan to take away all the blessings, and even his health eventually. Though Job had questions about why it was happening, he came to realize that God is God, and can be trusted. He did not get his original children back, of course, but God blessed him with just as many more, as well as wealth.

Why a hallway like this? To illustrate something I was told in a Bible study once. Suppose Satan tells God again that of course so and so was faithful because look how You healed the chronic issues, provided emotional healing, or whatever. Then God can point to the ‘Delivered in heaven’ side, and show faithful ones who were not healed, or their situation did not go away, and they still remained faithful to God. Sometimes infertility problems don’t go away, the cancer is not cured, the relationship remains broken. But we can still be faithful.

Some things cannot be healed on earth, like the grief of losing a loved one. But He is faithful to help us be faithful until the ultimate healing comes, in heaven. I am pretty sure there is not a place like this in heaven, but you can still know that God does have a purpose for your ‘(not) Delivered (until) in heaven’ trials.