11 Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. 2 For by this our ancestors were approved.

    3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

    4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.

    5 By faith Enoch was taken away, and so he did not experience death. He was not to be found because God took him away. For before he was taken away, he was approved as one who pleased God. 6 Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

    7 By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

    8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and set out for a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents as did Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

    11 By faith even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age, since she considered that the one who had promised was faithful. 12 Therefore, from one man—in fact, from one as good as dead—came offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and as innumerable as the grains of sand along the seashore.

    13 These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised. But they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth.

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Heb 11:1–13

    These 13 verses are only the first half of the chapter. This chapter in Hebrews is sometimes known as the “faith hall of fame” (we encourage you to read the rest of the chapter).

    It is a list of people who trusted God in their lives even though they had yet to see God’s promises fulfilled. The last verses of the chapter read:

 “All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.”

They trusted God with the “big picture”. This trust (faith) guided their choices and actions each day of their lives.

    The people in this chapter lived during the Old Testament period. They trusted God to provided redemption and salvation to His people. In the New Testament we see this promise fulfilled in Jesus the Christ. Through His death, burial, and resurrection God provided the salvation. Our faith (trust leading to obedience) in which we live is not a blind hoping, but an assured solid foundation We are confident of this because we see the LORD God’s faithfulness to His promises in the past and are assured of His faithfulness in the future.