A while back, I wrote a lesson on the Power of One, but thought about that once again. We read about men and women of great faith in Hebrews chapter 11. One individual that made a difference, because of their faith in God.
Noah: “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Genesis 6:8
Out of all of the people in the world prior to the flood, Noah found grace in God’s eyes. A man of great Faith, Courage, Perseverance, Obedience. “And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before Me in this generation.” Genesis 7:1
Scripture tells us in Genesis 5:32 that Noah was 500 years old when he started building the ark. He was 600 years old when the flood began. Genesis 7:11
Can you imagine this great man of faith being ridiculed, made fun of, jeered, called crazy and all manner of evil perpetrated against him for 100 years? He never gave up. He had a very strong faith in God. He trusted Him completely. Perseverance, Faith, Courage, Integrity, Character. He kept right on building that ark in the presence of all the evil that surrounded him. Is that not amazing?
Abraham – Tried by God. Offered up Isaac: “and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son.” Hebrews 11:17 How many of us would have that much faith?
Moses – “And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.” Exodus 1:22 Another great man of faith. “And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.” Exodus 2:10 Moses was chosen by God to lead the children of Israel out of bondage. You can see God’s providence throughout this story. A great servant of God.
Esther – “And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.” Esther 2:17
“And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath. And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.” Esther 3:5-6
“Then Mordecai commanded to answer, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:13-14
“I go in unto the king, which is not according to law: and if I perish, I perish. So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.” Esther 4:16-17
Esther was a great woman of Faith, Courage, Obedience, Character, Integrity. She delivered the Jewish people because of her faith in Him. ONE. Again, you can see God’s providence, protection of His people.
David – Great man of faith. “”And when He had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also He gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after Mine own heart, which shall fulfil all My will.” Acts13:22
Christ – The Ultimate Power of ONE!!! God’s only Son, but loved man so much, that His Son died on the cross for our sins. Throughout the history of God’s Word you can see where mankind continues to try and put to death Truth, but God’s Truth marches on. His will shall be fulfilled.
“Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings.” Psalms 17:8
“A child of God is not a nobody that attracts no attention; he is a special somebody in the eye of God. What is the significance? It means that God see and hears us when we pray. He responds gently to our every need. Furthermore, it means that we are under the providential care of God who makes things work for our betterment. God is not just a God of words; He is the God of action. And think of it – we are the “apple of His eye.” Never doubt it.” Leroy Brownlow
There are many more men and women of great faith written for our learning in Scripture that I haven’t mentioned, but I kept seeing a running theme throughout these courageous people’s lives. ONE against the powers of this world, placed their faith in the Power of God, and He saw them through and provided a way for them and He continues to care and provide for His own today.
ONE. Standing with Faith in God. I see God’s Protection, Provision, Love, Care of His people and He hasn’t changed. He cares for His own, His faithful children.
“Looking back there was a Man who came from Galilee. His only crime was loving man, so they nailed Him to a tree. You want to talk about love, true love. You want to talk about reaching out when the whole world’s giving up. Behold the power to change life with just ONE touch. Come on, let’s talk about love.”
Eileen Light