Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." Matthew 17:20, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Think

Hope feels good, doesn't it? Possessing hope fills our hearts with anticipation and expectation. But, when our hopes are not realized (at least in the way we want them to be), it can feel like a death. This lack of hope grieves our heart and, in a sense, we mourn. Hope, however, is a blessed byproduct of faith. Scripture tells us to "walk by faith and not by sight" because it keeps us going when our hope is not yet realized. Hope and faith work hand-in-hand, but they have different meanings and functions as we walk with God. Hope has more to do with our will, our dreams, our goals. And faith has more to do with our walk, our demeanor, our actions. Our faith allows us to wait for the hope of righteousness, our eternal reward. So, essentially, hope is fueled by faith. Within the healing process, hope abounds when we take active measures of faith. We believe and trust that God can bring light to the dark places in our hearts. Faith reminds us that we're lovable despite our brokenness. The Bible says that even if we only have faith the size of a mustard seed (the smallest seed on earth), it is enough to carve pathways for God's miracles in our lives. But once we take steps of faith, we can't stop. We have to keep moving if we want to get through to the other side of our mountain, the destination we've hoped for all along!

Act

Choose an act of faith, however small, toward something you are hopeful about. Now, go do it!

Pray

Dear Lord, Today, I cling to my faith as I await the hope of righteousness. With every step I take, I will not fear, as I move closer to where You want me to be, closer to my desired destination. I place my total trust in You, knowing that I can only get there by Your strength and guidance. In Jesus' name, Amen.