By: Pastor Zac Ethridge
What comes to mind when you think of faith?
For many of us, faith means believing God for the miracle. It’s trusting Him for healing, provision, restoration, or an answered prayer. We love hearing stories of impossible situations turning into incredible testimonies because they remind us that God is still able to do what only He can do.
Hebrews 11 is filled with stories like that.
Kingdoms were conquered. Lions’ mouths were shut. Fires couldn’t consume God’s people. Walls came crashing down. The dead were raised back to life.
Again and again, God demonstrated His power through miraculous breakthroughs. But then, right at the end of the chapter, something unexpected happens. The writer shifts from stories of victory to stories of suffering. The same chapter that celebrates incredible deliverance also honors believers who were imprisoned, mocked, beaten, tortured, and even killed because they refused to abandon their faith.
Why?
Because God wants us to understand something every believer needs to hear; real faith isn’t only faith for the breakthrough, it’s also faith for the breaking.
“Some were tortured, refusing to accept release… Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment… They were stoned; they were sawn in two… of whom the world was not worthy.” – Hebrews 11:35-38
Faith for the Breakthrough
There is no question that God is able.
Throughout Scripture, we see Him doing what seems impossible. Sarah conceived in her old age. Moses led Israel through the Red Sea. The walls of Jericho fell. Daniel walked safely out of the lions’ den. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood unharmed in the fiery furnace. Elijah and Elisha even witnessed the dead raised back to life.
The same God who worked then is still working today.
Jesus reminds us:
“What is impossible with man is possible with God.” – Luke 18:27
It’s easy to become discouraged after months, or even years, of praying for the same thing. We begin to wonder if God still hears us or if He’s able to intervene.
Hebrews 11 reminds us not to lose heart. Keep praying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Nothing is impossible for God.
But there’s also a danger if we stop reading halfway through the chapter. If we’re not careful, we can begin to believe that every faithful person experiences a miracle and if we haven’t, maybe our faith isn’t strong enough. Hebrews refuses to let us believe that lie.
Faith for the Breaking
The people of Hebrews 11 didn’t just have faith for the breakthrough; they also had faith for the breaking. Some experienced miraculous deliverance, others experienced tremendous suffering. Yet both groups are celebrated for the exact same reason: their faith.
Sometimes faith means enforcing justice, other times it means enduring injustice. Sometimes faith is measured by miraculous power, other times it is measured by miraculous perseverance. Faith isn’t just measured by the chains it can break; it’s also measured by the chains that cannot break it. Faith isn’t only demonstrated by what God rescues us from, sometimes it’s demonstrated by what God faithfully carries us through.
The trials you’re facing today aren’t meant to destroy your faith. God wants to use them to strengthen it.
Faith Is About Obedience, Not Outcomes
One of the greatest lessons in Hebrews 11 is that faith should never be measured by earthly results.
The chapter begins with two completely different stories.
Abel was the first man to die. Enoch never died at all. One experienced death. The other never tasted it.
Yet both are remembered for one thing: faith.
The same pattern continues throughout the chapter. Some conquered kingdoms. Others wandered homeless. Some shut the mouths of lions. Others were imprisoned and executed. Some experienced healing. Others endured suffering until death.
Yet every single one of them was approved by God.
Why?
Because faith isn’t about controlling the outcome. Faith is about trusting the One who holds the outcome.
Our faith is like steel being forged in the fire. As steel is heated and hammered, it becomes stronger. In the same way, God often uses seasons of testing to shape us into people whose faith cannot be shaken.
Satan wants to break us. God wants to forge us.
The very trial that feels like it’s crushing you may be the place where God is strengthening your faith the most. What the enemy intends for destruction, God often uses for transformation.
Our Hope Is Bigger Than This Life
One of the reasons the men and women of Hebrews 11 endured so faithfully is because they weren’t living only for this world. Their hope was eternal. They knew this life wasn’t the end of the story.
Paul writes:
“For I am sure that neither death nor life… nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38-39
Nothing, not suffering, disappointment, persecution, sickness, unanswered prayers, or even death itself, can separate those who belong to Christ from His love.
Unbreakable Because of Jesus
Ultimately, our confidence isn’t found in our ability to hold onto God, it’s found in what Jesus has already done for us. Jesus entered our broken world willingly. He performed miracles and displayed God’s power, but He also endured rejection, suffering, and death. At the Last Supper, He took the bread and said, “This is my body, which is broken for you.” On the cross, Jesus was broken so that sin and death would never have the final word.
Whether you’re praying for a breakthrough or walking through a season of breaking, He is with you.
He is near to the brokenhearted. He has not abandoned you. And when your faith is anchored in Christ instead of your circumstances, it becomes unbreakable.
If you’re ready to take your next step, fill out a Connection Card or visit one of our campus locations. We would love to pray with you, baptize you, or help you get connected.
