The Evidence of Faith

If you had asked me what faith was a year ago, I would have answered, "I believe that God is real, and if I ask Him in the name of Jesus, believing for something, He will do His best to help me." While this self-centered and wishful thinking answer reflected my heart at that time, it did not accurately convey God's definition of faith. He uses Paul to write these words in Hebrews 11:1: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." 

I now understand that faith is a deeply rooted, life-giving belief in the undeniable truth of God's promises and unseen realities, grounded in trust and the evidence of a faithful God. Faith encompasses both a subjective conviction in the fulfillment of God's promises and an objective assurance based on the reliability of a faithful God. Therefore, faith is about trusting God with everything, while hope is about trusting God for the future. 

God is both capable and willing to help us in every aspect of our lives. He invites us to place our trust in Him and to believe in His promises. The Scriptures affirm that when we have faith in God, we can confidently approach Him for guidance, support, and provision, as seen in Philippians 4:19: "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Whether it's a new job, a home, increased finances, healing, more peace, or less stress, we can pray confidently and trust in the assured promises of God according to His Word, believing that they will become a reality. 

We exercise our faith and put it into action by living in obedience to God's Word. When we trust in God and His promises—even when they are unseen—we live in accordance with this belief. Even if we never see the promises (Hebrews 11:13), and even if we do not know where God may call us to go (Hebrews 11:8), we are fully assured that God will lead us through uncertainty and has revealed the hope that we await.

The most difficult part is holding on to this assurance, but I love the second part of Hebrews 11:1, which speaks of "the evidence of things not seen." Our evidence to hold on to God is rooted in Jesus's work on the cross, which we did not witness physically, but its impact is evident in our lives every day. If it weren't for Jesus, I don't believe I would be writing today. Paul writes in Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." 

Through Jesus' death and resurrection, we can fully rely on God to fulfill the promises He has made and spoken. The evidence of Christ has given us a new identity in which to live and believe. We can now look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-3).