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.                                                                                                                                                                                             Hebrews 11:6

To have faith is to believe and to believe is to have faith. Both are necessary in our relationship with God. Today’s passage instructs us to believe two things: (1) that God is and (2) that He rewards those who seek Him. Throwing out prayers in the hopes that, if God is out there somewhere, maybe he’ll answer is not a biblical concept and certainly not the way we as believers are to pray. We must know that God is there and that He cares for us. Consider the following passage:

For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.                                                                                                         Jeremiah 29:11-13

I believe the order of statements in this passage is extremely important for understanding what the passage in Hebrews is teaching us. First, God told Israel that He had plans…plans for good and not calamity…plans for a bright future, full of hope. Secondly, God said, “Then you will call upon Me…and I will listen to you.” The occasion for prayer was because of God’s plan to prosper them. Lastly, God told Israel that they would find Him when they sought Him with all of their heart. All of this was done under the old covenant that God had made with Israel.

Compare that to what God has provided you under the new covenant of Jesus Christ. First, God has a plan…and not just for Israel, rather for the whole world…”For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son…to be the propitiation for our sins (John 3:16, 1 John 4:10). Secondly, there is now no distinction between Jews (Israel) and Gentiles (the rest of the world), but God will richly bless all who call on Him (Romans 10:12) and will save everyone who calls on His name (Romans 10:13). Lastly, Jesus tells us that everyone who seeks Him will find Him (Matthew 7:8) and that the one who seeks Him first, above all other things, will have every material need met as well (Matthew 6:33). Given these fundamental truths about God and what He offers us in Jesus Christ, it’s no wonder that the writer of Hebrews says that without faith (trust) it is impossible to please Him and that when we come to Him, we must believe that He is who He says He is and that He will reward those who seek Him. Trust in His love for you. Trust in His provision of salvation for you. Trust in His promises of richly blessing all who call on Him. Seek Him today…the rewards are endless.