This post was last updated on March 2, 2026

Day 354, Year 1

Some Other Israeli Elders of Faith

“And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets.” (Hebrews 11:32 NKJV)

The judges, king, and prophets mentioned above are men of faith. You can read about their faith in life one by one in the Old Testament. Some of them, in addition to deeds of faith, might have some shortcomings, even foolishness or sins. But the authors’ focus is on their faithful actions in God.

Often, the serious problems they encountered brought out their faith actions, but they all had hope in God. After prayers, they received God’s words or instructions, or even sought courage for breakthroughs or His resolutions for the problems encountered. They could then follow God’s guidance to speak His words in faith, without fear of any consequences. Finally, they are approved by God. We can see that, first, they had the right mindset and were not trapped or overwhelmed by any problem. All of them faced the unbelieving Israelites or Gentiles. They were often outnumbered, i.e., few believers were surrounded by many unbelievers, but they successfully resisted and overcame the disbelieving influence. Not only would they be able to preserve all their faith in God, but they were also able to fulfill His will on earth. Similarly, sometimes it takes a long time for us to pray to receive wisdom and strength from God, so that our lives could be renewed, and thus remove the influence of unbelief, making and acting in assertive decisions of faith in Him.

Believers who trust in God are always prayerful and receptive to His words and promptings. This not only means that we are always open to God, but also that we are eager to seek His guidance, and to obey Him with wisdom and courage, and thus act with faith. But if we are not sure of God’s guidance in prayers, we may need to ask Him for courage, pray for His confirmation or clearer guidance, or even His work to strengthen our faith before we can act with confidence. Contrarily, if God’s people are disconnected from Him without a prayerful heart, even those mentioned in today’s verse would turn away from God and sin. The unbelief or little faith of the judges, king, and prophets mentioned above was detrimental to the Israelites in those days. Similarly, those who have sinned and been alienated from God with weak faith can certainly be forgiven through repentance, but inevitably, they are hurt. Thus, it is vital for us to act in faith, but even more important is to be Christians who always have faith in God, with so many prayers and obedience to Him.

Reflection questions:

1) Do you feel that you are overcoming unbelief easily, while trusting in God exclusively? If you have difficulties, how can you rely on the Lord to overcome them?

2) Can you pray and trust in God all the time? What are some of the hardest times in your life when you can’t concentrate on praying? If so, how do you resolve it?