Bible Verse(s):
Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city…32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

Devotion:
Life rarely unfolds the way we expect it to. That reality becomes even more complicated when we’ve sincerely sought God for direction, prayed with real faith, and trusted that He heard us. When we ask for breakthroughs, healing, clarity, or change—things that seem, at least from our perspective, clearly aligned with God’s will—it can be deeply painful when the answer doesn’t come… or when the answer looks nothing like what we hoped for.

These moments are hard. They aren’t theoretical. They land in real places of disappointment, confusion, and even grief. If we’re honest, they can feel unfair. At times, they can make God feel distant or silent, even uncaring. Yet Scripture doesn’t shy away from these experiences. In fact, the writer of Hebrews gives language to them in what I call "God’s cliffhangers.”

A cliffhanger is when a story pauses without resolution—when the scene ends before all the questions are answered. Hebrews reminds us that many people of faith lived entire lives without seeing the fulfillment of what they believed God had promised. Their stories didn’t wrap up neatly. They trusted God fully, yet never experienced the outcome they longed for in this lifetime.

That only makes sense when we realize we are not living in the final season of the story.

God is writing something far bigger than the single chapter we occupy. There were people of faith before us, and—if Christ delays His return—there will be people of faith after us. What we call “our life” is actually one part of a much larger narrative. Faith, then, is not just about what happens to us, but about trusting the Author of the story as a whole.

Hebrews puts it plainly:

“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”

Living by faith means recognizing that our story is part of something much larger—HIS-story.

Sometimes faith leads to outcomes we celebrate: victories, healing, provision, justice, restoration. Other times, that same faith leads people through suffering, loss, persecution, or unanswered prayers. Scripture holds both realities side by side without apology. The presence of faith does not guarantee the absence of pain.

But it does guarantee that pain or loss is not pointless.

When we can embrace the truth that this life is not the final season, we gain a different perspective. Cliffhangers are no longer seen as failures of our faith or breaches in God's faithfulness—they are pauses. They are reminders that the story is still being written, and that what remains unresolved now will one day be made clear.

Faith, by definition, requires trust without full visibility. As Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

So we keep believing. We keep hoping. We keep trusting—even when clarity doesn’t come. Even when answers feel delayed beyond our lifetime. Because somehow, in ways we may not yet understand, God is working all things together for good.

And the story is not over yet.