God gives us the faith to keep hoping

It's been a rough year for many of us. Me included.

In fact, for the past couple of months I've really struggled to hold onto hope. This may surprise you, given how much I talk about trying to fan the flames of hope through my stories, but the pressures, trials, and pains of life hit me just the same. 

Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is confidence in what we hope for, and assurance about what we do not see; but that whole 'not seeing' thing is hard. Sometimes it feels like things will never change, and even though we know that without faith it's impossible to please God, we just can't seem to muster up faith to keep hoping anymore.

But a few nights ago, as I was praying in the wee small hours of the morning I remembered Paul's letter to the Ephesians (2:8-9) where he stated that it is by grace that we have been saved, through faith—and this is not from ourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.*

Confident that God will meet all our needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19), I asked God to give me the faith that I needed to be able to keep hoping, and sure enough, in the morning I felt better. Stronger. More hopeful. While nothing on the outside had changed, He had given me what I didn't have on the inside.

As we face down the end of this year and the beginning of a new one, you might be struggling to hold onto hope, too. If anyone's implied (or outright states) that you have to drum up all of the things within yourself, well, that's not what the Word of God says. So, just in case you needed to hear it, you can ask Him for faith to keep hoping. 

* Note for theological squabblers: I'm aware that some people think this gift refers only to salvation, but Greek scholars assure us that the verse indicates that the faith with which we believe is a gift from God, too. Furthermore, this is supported by other passages in the Bible, neatly summarised by The Master's University:

"Scripture consistently teaches that faith is not conjured up by the human will but is a sovereignly granted gift of God. Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44). And “No one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father” (John 6:65). Acts 3:16 speaks of “the faith which comes through Him.” Philippians 1:29 says, “To you it has been granted for Christ’s sake . . . to believe in Him.” And Peter wrote to fellow believers as “those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours” (2 Peter 1:1)."

Which makes perfect sense, given that the God so righteous that He cannot look upon our sin sent Himself as propitiation for it, so that we who are hopeless, helpless, and incapable might be redeemed. He redresses our lacks Himself because we cannot.