Olivet Discourse
And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!" And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." Mark 13:1-2 (ESV)
F is for faith. Contrary to what many unbelievers claim, faith isn’t about ignoring “the real world” but about seeing it more accurately. Jesus’ words in Mark 13 remind us that our earthly surroundings, even those that seem so secure, are temporary. When the disciples marveled at the grandeur of the Temple, Jesus turned their attention beyond it, predicting its eventual destruction. He was teaching them—and us—to see beyond what’s in front of us, to recognize that our true foundation is not in the visible but in the invisible— in God’s promises toward us in Christ.
Consider Noah. When God told him a flood was coming, from that point on he surely saw the world differently. A gopher tree wasn’t just a tree, but a part of his and his family’s salvation. A saw was no mere tool, but a gift of God to build the ark. A meandering cloud was no longer just an object in which to see animals but was the way God would carry out both His judgment against the world and still preserve His promise of a Savior to come. God’s promise became his focus.
Like Noah, we’re called to trust in what God says rather than in the temporary structures and objects around us. God’s Word is truly reliable. Your daily devotions focus your heart upon Christ with this promise always in the background: Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
O Lord God, grant us steadfast faith to rely on You and Your Word alone. Amen.