What does it mean for the Kingsman to have the faith to please the King?
Hebrews 11:6 says: Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.
That verse tells the Kingsman what God is looking for, and Christ has made it reachable by every man who trusts Him. Consider four things the Kingsman can learn and apply: the striving he must set down, the source he must draw from, the character he must believe in, and the seeking he must keep up.
The Striving He Must Set Down. The verse opens with a flat statement: without faith it is impossible to please God. It does not say difficult. It says impossible. That shuts a door many men keep pushing on: the idea that enough discipline, service or good behaviour will win the Lord’s smile. A Kingsman can serve faithfully for years and still carry a quiet suspicion that he is one failure away from losing God’s favour. Paul closes that door: by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3), and Habakkuk had written that the righteous shall live by his faith (Habakkuk 2:4).
Faith is not a rival to obedience. It is the root from which obedience grows, which is why Paul goes on to say we were created for good works (Ephesians 2:10). To apply it, the Kingsman can write down where he has been working for approval, whether in service, reputation or private discipline. He can pray over each item, telling the Lord he is trusting Christ for what he has been trying to earn. The service continues, but the motive changes from earning to responding.
The Source He Must Draw From. If faith pleases God, the Kingsman will want to know where it comes from. Paul says it comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). It is God’s gift (Ephesians 2:8), and Jesus Himself is the founder and perfecter of it (Hebrews 12:2). So faith is not produced by willpower or atmosphere. It is given and grown where the word is heard, which is why a man can leave a stirring service unchanged yet find his trust deepening over a slow week in the Gospels.
It also arrives in different sizes. Jesus said faith as small as a mustard seed is enough to begin with (Matthew 17:20), and the father of the afflicted boy prayed the honest prayer many men have prayed: I believe; help my unbelief (Mark 9:24). Jesus did not turn him away. To apply it, the Kingsman can set a fixed time each day for Scripture and read a passage aloud, since hearing is exactly what Paul names. He can note what the passage says about God, then pray it back. On days when faith feels thin, he can pray Mark 9:24 without apology and ask for more.
The Character He Must Believe In. Hebrews 11:6 names two convictions: that God exists and that He rewards those who seek Him. The first is easy to affirm and easy to ignore, because a man can confess God’s existence on Sunday and plan Monday as though He were absent. The second is subtler. The Kingsman can believe God is real and still suspect He is stingy or indifferent. Jesus answers that directly: if you, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him (Matthew 7:11)?
The reward is not first a prize. Abram heard, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great (Genesis 15:1), and the reward was God Himself. The heroes of Hebrews 11 died without receiving everything promised, yet they greeted it from afar and desired a better country (Hebrews 11:13, 16). To apply it, the Kingsman can choose one anxiety he is carrying and set a truth about God’s character against it, such as Philippians 4:6-7 or Psalm 23:1. He can say it aloud when the worry rises, then make one decision that day as though it were true.
The Seeking He Must Keep Up. The verse says God rewards those who seek Him, and the verb describes a continuing posture, not a single visit. Jeremiah recorded the promise: you will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13). Seeking is proved by action. James is blunt: faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead (James 2:17). Noah built an ark when there was no rain in sight, and Abraham left home for a place he did not know (Hebrews 11:7-8). Neither saw the outcome first.
Paul sums up the walk: we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), and Solomon gives the rule: trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). To apply it, the Kingsman can name one step of obedience he has been postponing because the outcome is unclear. It may be a conversation, a commitment, an act of generosity or a decision he has been circling. He can pray over it, ask a trusted spiritual sibling to hold him to it, and take the step this week, leaving the result with the Lord.
Enoch is the quiet example. Before he was taken, he was commended as having pleased God (Hebrews 11:5). He has no famous victory to his name, only a life walked with the Lord. The Kingsman does not have to carry a polished record into the Father’s presence. He draws near with a true heart in full assurance of faith (Hebrews 10:22), because Jesus has opened the way by His blood (Hebrews 10:19). He comes trusting he will be welcomed, and the One who welcomes him is the reward.
That is what it means for the Kingsman to have faith to please the King.
For His Name’s Sake
C. L. J. Dryden
Shalom
