one step: Hebrews 11.2

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

In an effort to please God, we may try really, really hard to do everything right. One of three outcomes could emerge from this effort: 1) we realize that we are incapable of earning the pleasure of God and give up, resulting in turning away from Him, 2) we realize that we are incapable of earning the pleasure of God and give up, turn toward Him, and then rely on faith, 3) live in denial of our own imperfection, lying to ourselves about the quality of our achievements in an effort to convince ourselves that the pleasure of God has been achieved or can be achieved by human effort.

Unsurprisingly, it is through the second option that the author of Hebrews tells us that we are able to please God. But how does faith please God?

Faith is a fundamentally relational concept.* To have relationship, one must first trust that the other person exists (not an automatic in this world of online chatting and dating).* Second, one must trust that the other person will respond to you in a positive manner.*

James 2:19 tells us,

You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

Demons believe that God exists, but their response is fundamentally different than ours: they shudder. They fear the punishment that awaits them. They do not put faith in God.

To please God, we must believe that God’s response to us is positive. Said another way, to have faith that pleases God, we must believe in and receive the positive response of God that is embodied in the person of Jesus Christ.

Knowing that faith involves looking up to God and forward to the promises of God (see one step: Hebrews 11.1), we see the posture that God likes to see.* The author of Hebrews takes the idea of faith further, however, stating that seeking is involved. What is it to seek something?

Seeking something isn’t a casual looking. When we look up toward God, and we look forward toward His promises, we are not invited to glance. The author of Hebrews uses the Greek word ekzētousin where we read “seek.*” It is a compound word that denotes an intense form of seeking.*

Perhaps you have thought about the things of God. Maybe you have talked to a friend a bit about God. Maybe you have spent an hour or a few hours searching online to discover something more about God and His ways. This is not seeking.

I believe that we live in a world that has largely forgotten how to seek. The kind of seeking that involves generations of study culminating in a departure from home to follow a star across the desert to find the Savior must be kept in perspective. It is a seeking more akin to cooking on a wood-built fire than an instantly satisfying microwave oven. This kind of seeking does not end when we find our Savior, but it continues in a life-time of walking with God.

A walk implies a journey in a certain direction at a certain pace.* It’s time to walk with Jesus. It’s time to seek Him.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to begin seeking God today. Perhaps today God wants you to take another step in your walk with Him. Maybe today God wants you to leave something behind to follow Him. Perhaps God wants you to put faith in Him by trusting that He is good and has good for you.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.

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*Stedman, R. C. (1992). Hebrews (Heb 11:4–7). IVP Academic.
Grindheim, S. (2023). The Letter to the Hebrews (D. A. Carson, Ed.; pp. 551–556). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
France, R. T. (2006). Hebrews. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews–Revelation (Revised Edition) (Vol. 13, pp. 150–151). Zondervan.
Guthrie, G. (1998). Hebrews (pp. 376–377). Zondervan Publishing House.