By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones. Hebrews 11:22

Out of all the acts of faith that Joseph would be commended for, it was "instructions about his bones" that made the Hall of Faith. Joseph's bones were laid to rest forty years after Joseph died. First, though, the Israelites had to wander through the wilderness. After "And Joseph's bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph's descendants." (Joshua 24:32 NIV)

When the Israelites came into the land with Joshua, the bones were carried there. Joseph's bones are still in Shechem after so many centuries. They rest as a witness to God's covenant with Abraham. He had promised Abraham that his descendants would outnumber the stars in the sky. Even in the last century man has done his utmost to eliminate the Jewish people from the human race. Today those bones are a reminder to us that the Jewish people are alive and well and probably aren't going anywhere soon. The Jews are surrounded on every side from people who despise them and would love to see their total destruction, and yet they continue to exist and thrive. It's nothing short of a miracle from Almighty God.

I call it the "faith not easily recognized as faith" faith. This kind of faith sends missionaries into dark regions of the world for 20 or 30 years with no converts, no church, no "fruit." A hundred years after the missionaries are long gone, a church is borne and begins to thrive. To the people who had been supporting the missionaries, it looked like a "waste" or a lost cause. Not being able to see the fruit of your labors is difficult. But like Joseph, this kind of faith relies on others not seen to continue the ministry.