Faith is being confident of what we hope for, convinced about things we do not see. And without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to God, because whoever approaches Him must believe that He does exist and that He becomes a Rewarder to those who seek Him out. Hebrews 11:1 & 6

It is so interesting that I am writing this even as I am going through a trial of my faith, and a time when I feel that my faith is showing just how weak and wimpy it really is. For those of you who don't know me or my situation, let me just say that my family and I don't know where we will be living next month. The house we have been renting was foreclosed on, sold at auction, and is being put on the market by the bank. The mortgage on the house we are planning to rent has not yet been approved. And so, we find ourselves within a couple of weeks of moving and not knowing where we will be moving to. It’s stressful to say the least. And I wonder, where is my faith?

So, here I am examining FAITH as a person who is struggling with faith at the moment. I am not struggling with my faith in God as my Father, as the One who loves me, or as my Provider. But I am struggling more with what He is doing in my life at this season and
in this circumstance. In this need, is He God, my Provider, or is He God, my Sustainer in times of need? Would He be saying, “My grace is sufficient?” Is He providing the nice house we long for, or is He at work teaching me that I don't need all the long list of things American prosperity has taught me to accept as necessity? (Hmmmmm. Maybe I think too much and over analyze everything!)

Anyway, the above verses in Hebrews are the basis for my understanding of what faith is. From them I understand that FAITH is a firm confidence in the things that we
expectantly hope for: the things God has promised and the things we have been told are true in Scripture. The word here for “firm confidence” is hypostasis, a Greek word that was commonly used in business documents of the time as the basis of a guarantee of transactions It is important to note here that it isn’t so much about my faith as it is about the object of my faith, God. Just as in a business transaction, the contract itself is only as valuable as the integrity of the one you are contracting with.

Faith is also a confidence, acceptance, and belief in things that we cannot see. It’s rather like believing in gravity or the wind. “Faith apprehends as a real fact what is not revealed to the senses. It rests on that fact, acts upon it, and is upheld by it in the face of all that seems to contradict it.” Notice verse 11:27, where it says those who lived by faith “endured as seeing Him who is invisible.”

So faith is a confidence in things that are not here yet (we haven’t received them physically as yet) and a conviction about the things that exist but we just can't see them. It is learning to walk or live according to the truth of God’s Word, even when we haven’t yet received and are not yet able to see. Matthew Henry said that faith is to the soul all that the senses are to the body.

From this "definition," it would seem that the things that we see and the things that we already have are not of faith, they don’t require faith. And, you know, that is the rub. I ask God to give me faith, to build my faith, but then I get upset when I don’t have or see all the things I “need.” Maybe I should be careful of what I ask for, it sounds a little like asking for more patience and then having one person after another getting on your last nerve.

Interestingly enough, Hebrews is very direct in saying, "All of these (the list that follows in Hebrews 11) had their merit attested because of their faith. Nevertheless, they did not receive what had been promised, because God had planned something better that would involve us, so that only with us would they be brought to the goal." It seems to imply that having enough faith is not a guarantee that we will get everything we hope for when we expect it. God may have something better in mind. God's thoughts and ways are so much higher and farther than ours, and we don't always quite understand what He is truly saying or what His timeline is for its fulfillment. Nevertheless, we are to believe if for no other reason then that it pleases Him.

By the way, take another look at the last paragraph. The Word says they “had their merit attested because of their faith.” What it is saying is that God testifies about their faith. All through Scripture we find God pointing out those who believed and who expressed their faith actively in their obedience. It seems that among other things, the Bible may also be God’s Brag Book. I hope that doesn’t sound sacrilegious. I know that all the wonders throughout the Bible are the work of God. Yet, it seems that God made sure a record was kept and a report was made to honor them for the things that they did in faith. Can you imagine God giving a testimony about you because you believed Him? Wow!

Verse 6 says that we must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him out. I guess we can’t have faith in His promises if we don’t believe that God exists, that seems like a given. But we also must believe that He is good, that He wants to do us good. We must believe that as we reach out to Him, He will be reaching out to us and that He will do us good. We must believe that His will for us is good.

Again, I am so like a child here, Daddy God says "I am taking you somewhere." And immediately I start, "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" He says, "I am doing a new thing in your life." And, I begin asking, "Are You done yet? Am I done yet?"

I want to have faith. I want to believe and trust in God. I want to please Him by my faith. BUT I want everything NOW. I want my needs to all be met! I want my walk with Him to be smooth and easy. According to the definition of faith above, if I had all of this, if I could see Jesus sitting here beside me, where would my faith be? And if I didn't need faith, how could I please God?

i. Word Pictures in the New Testament, Archibald Thomas Robertson, QuickVerse.
ii. ibid
iii. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the New Testament, QuickVerse.
.