Old Faithful

Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (NKJV)

Last week, my fiancé and I experienced the opportunity of a lifetime. We visited Yellowstone National Park. All around us were tangible indications of God's creation: grazing bison creating traffic snarls, blue pools of boiling-hot water, steam venting through the earth — giving the topography a lunar effect — bubbling mud baths, and the crowning glory: witnessing the eruption of Old Faithful.

Old Faithful is a cone geyser. It is so well known because of the predictability of its eruptions. Each eruption lasts between one-and-a-half and five minutes. The longer the eruption, the longer the duration before the next eruption. Durations between eruptions are between 61 and 95 minutes. Heights of eruptions vary from 100 to 180 feet. Each eruption expels enough water to provide a North American family with three weeks of water usage!

What, you might ask, do Old Faithful and these scientific facts have to do with faith? Quite a lot, actually. Old Faithful is a great parallel for today's verse about faith being the evidence of things not seen. For approximately an hour, all that can be seen is a vacant cone on the earth, but underground, superheated water is filling the cavities. As the time of the eruption nears, the "evidence" begins: first, steam, then, bits of spouting water, and then, the major eruption. Isn't this like God? Even when nothing appears to be happening in our lives, God is always working below the surface, unseen. There are times when we cannot see nor feel God, but that does not mean that He is absent from our lives.

I go to today's verse often, in the midst of trying circumstances. The first phrase of the verse — "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for" — is so beautifully poetic and inspirational. The second stanza, though, is a bit more difficult: "the evidence of things not seen". How can we have evidence in things unseen? In our society where cries of "fake news" are common, we want facts, figures, and credible information sources.

Psalm 18:25a – To the faithful you show yourself faithful. (NIV)

God is faithful to us, and we are called to show faithfulness to our God. However, there are times when we turn away from God's teachings and from our faith because of doubt, self-sufficiency, fear, and limited understanding.

2 Timothy 2:13 – If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is. (NLT)

This promise from our Father is wonderful news, that He remains faithful always. Let us endeavour to return the favour!

Prayer: God, help us when we doubt, when we display self-sufficient tendencies, when we demonstrate fear, and when we rely on our own limited understanding. You have promised to be with us always and never to leave us nor forsake us. During the times when You are not visible in our lives, like when Old Faithful appears to be sleeping, remind us that if we are patient and wait, You will show Yourself again in our lives. Amen.