July 22, 2024
by Pastor Chuck SwindollScriptures: Hebrews 11:35–38
HIDDEN SAINTS—HOW MANY THERE ARE! Not insignificant nor reluctant, just unknown to us. If we could see as our Father sees, I'm convinced we would be amazed at the size of His family.
HIDDEN SAINTS—HOW MANY THERE ARE! Not insignificant nor reluctant, just
unknown to us. If we could see as our Father sees, I'm convinced we would
be amazed at the size of His family. If the spiritual iceberg were suddenly
turned upside down and exposed for all to view, the magnitude of the church
He is building would literally take our breath away.
Isaac Watts caught a mental glimpse of such a scene after he had meditated
on Psalm 72. He recorded his thoughts:
From north to south the princes meet,
To pay their homage at His feet;
While western empires own their Lord,
And savage tribes attend His word. . . .
People and realms of every tongue
Dwell on His love with sweetest song,
And infant voices shall proclaim
Their early blessings on His name.
How shortsighted we are . . . how restricted in our vision . . . how
ignorant and unaware of the full scope, the whole story! Our God has
planted His people all over this globe. The bamboo curtain, the prosperity
curtain, the poverty curtain notwithstanding. He has His prepared and
appointed instruments—hidden saints emerging from the woodwork and etching
their mark upon humanity. Many have already gone on to be with God.
Others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free.
They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. Some were
jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in
prisons. . . . They were too good for this world.
HEBREWS 11:35–38
My point is a simple one: we are not alone. We are in the company of
remarkable people of courageous faith who for the most part live out their
days in obscurity, trusting God for their ultimate reward. Invisible to all
but never to God.