How Do We Define Faith?
August 6, 2025
How Do We Define Faith?
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
How Do We Define Faith?
Years ago, I remember reading M. Scott Peck’s book, The Road Less Travelled. In it I engaged some hard truths that challenged my understanding of how the world works. If you haven’t read it, or don’t remember his main thesis a quick summary would be that Peck says - Life is difficult – and our expectation that it isn’t supposed to be is what causes a lot of our problems. That felt true to me because it resonated with what I saw in my own life, and in the lives of the people that I knew and, in the world, at large. It did feel as though every time life proved to be difficult, the assumption was that that was an anomaly. If we just got through this one thing, life would go back to being easy again. And when it didn’t it felt like we were doing something wrong, or maybe we had drawn the short straw.
Sometimes people imagine that believing in God can get us out of the ‘life is difficult’ reality – like a get out of jail free card in Monopoly. But that’s not what faith is about. The assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen – this verse is not about winning the lottery. It’s about so much more. Faith is about trusting in God. Trusting in God to walk with us, to help us figure out how to navigate when the bad things of life happen, to help us find ways to see resurrection possibilities, to hear us say the things we need to say in prayer, to be with us in Spirit and let us know that we are loved, forgiven, held no matter what. Trusting in God who welcomes us into a relationship that goes beyond the boundaries of life in this world – that is the promise we have, and the path we can embrace.
Reflection Questions:
1) What do you believe in that you cannot see?
2) How does hope manifest in your way of looking at life?
3) What does trusting in God mean to you?
Prayer:
Dear God, Help me to trust in you to walk with me, to walk with all of us, as we look for ways to live in love. In Jesus Name, Amen
