Weekly Devotional
Hope Series: "What Are We Hoping For" (Volume I Devotional #002)
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Hebrew 11.1
I look on this picture and I see something so beautiful in the midst of barrenness. Look at the newness and perfection of the flower pedals and its leaves, and I am immediately struck by the stark contrast of the life that I see by comparison to the lifelessness around it. While such contrasts are obvious, I want us to look deeper into the picture and look at the crack and the very small leaf on the stem and the soil that we are barely able to see from which the flower stems. These are the things I want us to consider, the deeper things, the things of detail, and the beauty hidden or not seen. Now, liken this to our faith. Consider for a moment in your mind’s eye, if you will, the journey of this flower being able to spring forth and display its beauty in the midst of the ugliness around it, very much like our Christian Faith in a lost and hopeless world. When we read this verse in the Bible, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen,” we are often taken and have heard or perhaps read many subjects related to the idea of faith being centered around this verse. Many such sermons or books I have read that have principled its content around the subject of faith have used this very verse to present profound insights on the doctrine of faith, many of those sermons and books I love and have held dear to my heart in my walk with the Lord. However, I want us to consider the phrase in the same verse, “…the substance of things hoped for;” unfortunately, there is a very important aspect overlooked when mentioning what it is we exactly have faith to believe to receive, and it is centers around the premise of what it is we are hoping for.
The Apostle James, the half-brother of our Lord Jesus Christ, touched upon the matter of prayer and what people hope for in their prayers and why they were not being answered, he stated, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4.3). You see, it is not enough to have faith that you will receive from God, it is really about what you are hoping to receive from God. If we want things from the Lord, we need to know if what we are hoping to receive is within the bounds of His will for our lives.
You may be asking yourselves, “How do I know if what I am hoping for is within the bounds of His will for my life?” Remember those moments when you were reading the Word and it really spoke to your heart. Those visions of wonderful and beautiful things you wanted to see in your life, the good things, the things that you knew brought glory to God, those moments when you hoped for that good job you needed to provide for your family, the opportunities you were seeking that you knew would bring good things into your life, those moments when you imagined yourself looking back on all the blessings you had seen pour into your life. Those wonderful visions of hope, love, the desire to show kindness to others, and the freedom to be good to others, those moments when you hoped to have a better relationships with your loved ones, with your husband or wife, with your children, those moments of hope for a good future for yourself and for your children, those moments when you hoped good for another person. These are the things of the Lord. You see, those moments when you meditated on what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, good, those things that are virtuous, and brings praise to our Lord are the things of the substance of faith. The faith upon the hope of those great and wonderful things to come to past in your life and in the lives of others.
Never let go of those moments. Hold on to the good and let go of the doubt. Do not listen to the naysayers or to the words of the faithless. Those moments were spent with the Lord, and in those moments you were in conversation with a Friend who truly hopes for your good always and never allow anyone to tell you otherwise.
Prayer: Father, I want to give You thanks for those moments of hope we have had with You. Those moments when we dreamed big and knew that You were on the forefront of our thoughts. We give thanks, Father, that more than anyone, You hope the best for us. Father, change our hearts and our minds to reflect the mind of Christ and give us the hope for the things that are pleasing to You, thus granting us the faith needed to believe that such things are able to come to pass, because our hopes are within Your will. Let us have such faith to know that such good things of hope are heard by You and assures us that we will have all that we ask for. Father, thank You, for Your Son, Jesus Christ, and thank You, He died on the cross for our sins, but not for ours only, but also for the whole world. May You always receive praise, honor, and glory. Amen.