Where there is hope there is faith

Question

Answer

Faith and hope are distinct yet related. That there is a difference between faith and hope is evident in 1 Corinthians 13:13, “Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Two of the three greatest gifts are faith and hope, listed separately. That faith and hope are related concepts is seen in Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is confidence in what we hope for.”

Faith is a complete trust or confidence in something. Faith involves intellectual assent to a set of facts and trust in those facts. For example, we have faith in Jesus Christ. This means we completely trust Jesus for our eternal destiny. We give intellectual assent to the facts of His substitutionary death and bodily resurrection, and we then trust in His death and resurrection for our salvation.

Biblical hope is built on faith. Hope is the earnest anticipation that comes with believing something good. Hope is a confident expectation that naturally stems from faith. Hope is a peaceful assurance that something that hasn’t happened yet will indeed happen. Hope must involve something that is as yet unseen: “Hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?” (Romans 8:24). Jesus’ return is our “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13)—we can’t see Him yet, but we know He’s coming, and we anticipate that event with joy.

Jesus said He is coming again (John 14:3). By faith, we trust Jesus’ words, and that leads to hope that we will one day be with Him forever. Jesus was resurrected from the dead, “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). That is the basis for our faith. Then we have Jesus’ promise: “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19). That is the basis of our hope.

The relationship between faith and hope can be illustrated in the joy a child feels when his father tells him they are going to an amusement park tomorrow. The child believes that he will go to the amusement park, based on his father’s word—that is faith. At the same time, that belief within the child kindles an irrepressible joy—that is hope. The child’s natural trust in his father’s promise is the faith; the child’s squeals of delight and jumping in place are the expressions of the hope.

Faith and hope are complementary. Faith is grounded in the reality of the past; hope is looking to the reality of the future. Without faith, there is no hope, and without hope there is no true faith. Christians are people of faith and hope. We have “the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time” (Titus 1:2).

Having faith that it will all work out can be next to impossible when you are struggling. Your fortitude can start to crumble as you begin to question God's plan and lose hope in overcoming the current obstacle you are facing. But surrounding yourself with encouraging scripture and Bible verses about hope can comfort you when you feel like giving up, as well as remind you that the Lord is watching over you. Hope is such an intangible feeling, which is often easily lost at various points in your life. However, that doesn't mean you can't find it again — and keeping faith is one way to do so.

These reassuring Bible verses about life will replenish your perspective on what comes next; they will offer strength and encouragement when you may be at your lowest. Even when you are going through a hard time, it is still possible to find happiness and see the light at the end of the long and winding tunnel. Having trust in God that he will only throw your way what He knows you can handle may feel painful to believe at times. But know that hope is on the horizon, and these hopeful Bible verses are a stepping stone to finding peace and love once again.

“Indeed there is hope for a tree. If it’s cut down and still sprouting and its shoots don’t fail, if its roots age in the ground and its stump dies in the dust, at the scent of water, it will bud and produce sprouts like a plant.”

The Good News: Even when life knocks you down and you’re feeling small, there is still hope to be found. You can find support from God and from your loved ones to help you keep growing.

“And all who have this hope in him purify themselves even as he is pure.”

The Good News: Placing hope and faith in Jesus Christ can help you pursue an authentic, holy life.

“Yet he rescues the orphan from the sword of their mouth, the needy from the grip of the strong; so the poor have hope and violence shuts its mouth.”

The Good News: God is watching over you, and will make sure that in your vulnerable moments he finds a way to protect you from things that threaten you.

“Therefore, once you have your minds ready for action and you are thinking clearly, place your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

The Good News: Focusing on what will happen once the storm has passed will give you the strength to overcome moments of doubt and fear.

“I pray that the eyes of your heart will have enough light to see what is the hope of God’s call, what is the richness of God’s glorious inheritance among believers, and what is the overwhelming greatness of God’s power that is working among us believers. This power is conferred by the energy of God’s powerful strength.”

The Good News: God works 24/7 to make our lives better, even if it doesn't feel that way all the time.

“Let’s hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, because the one who made the promises is reliable.”

The Good News: Our hope should never deplete, because we know God will always be there for us.

“A life span will rise brighter than noon; darkness will be like morning. You will be secure, for there is hope; you will look around and rest safely. You will lie down without anyone to scare you; many will beg for your favor.”

The Good News: When you overcome the tough times, you will look back on them with gratitude, for they made you stronger.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in faith so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

The Good News: When you start to lose your positive outlook, God will fill you back up.

“Because the poor won’t be forgotten forever, the hope of those who suffer won’t be lost for all time.”

The Good News: God is ever near to those who need Him most. Reach out when you are hurting.

“We were saved in hope. If we see what we hope for, that isn’t hope. Who hopes for what they already see? But if we hope for what we don’t see, we wait for it with patience.”

The Good News: Hope even when you see no reason to do so; wait patiently for the Lord. He will come.

“But look here: the Lord’s eyes watch all who honor him, all who wait for his faithful love, to deliver their lives from death and keep them alive during a famine.”

The Good News: Even in the most dire circumstances, even when we are faced with death, the Lord is there to support us.

“It [love] isn’t happy with injustice, but it is happy with the truth. Love puts up with all things, trusts in all things, hopes for all things, endures all things.”

The Good News: We cannot truly love without hoping; with love, all things become possible.

"Why, I ask myself, are you so depressed? Why are you so upset inside? Hope in God! Because I will again give him thanks, my saving presence and my God."

The Good News: Do not be discouraged; lift your heart in praise. God will give you strength.

“You are one body and one spirit, just as God also called you in one hope. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, who is over all, through all, and in all.”

The Good News: Our hope is founded on the rock of our faith in the one God, who undergirds all we see and hear and touch.

“Oh, I must find rest in God only, because my hope comes from him! Only God is my rock and my salvation — my stronghold! — I will not be shaken.”

The Good News: Still your troubled mind and patiently wait for God. He will never let you down.

“We work and struggle for this: ‘Our hope is set on the living God, who is the savior of all people, especially those who believe.’”

The Good News: Our God is a living God, present here and now to give hope to all who believe and call on Him in prayer.

“But not only that! We even take pride in our problems, because we know that trouble produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope. This hope doesn’t put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

The Good News: Have faith that God can transform your suffering into personal character and the hope that springs from it.

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2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

“Our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and a good hope. May he encourage your hearts and give you strength in every good thing you do or say.”

The Good News: God’s love, expressed most powerfully in our Lord Jesus, offers comfort, hope, and strength for the tasks ahead.

“Faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see. The elders in the past were approved because they showed faith.”

The Good News: Just as God created the cosmos from nothing, He can bring hope and strength where once there was none.

“Christ was chosen before the creation of the world, but was only revealed at the end of time. This was done for you, who through Christ are faithful to the God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory. So now, your faith and hope should rest in God.”

The Good News: The resurrection of Jesus is God’s most powerful declaration of hope for one and all.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

The Good News: Take comfort in knowing that the future is always in God’s hands, and He has a plan for you.

“We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Good News: There is always hope in the love of God, as evidenced through his son Jesus.

“Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

The Good News: If you set your mind and heart on Christ, there is always hope of eternal life and a future, so you shouldn’t worry.

“but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

The Good News: Those who love the Lord will have an ever-present source of strength, love, and energy to keep going, no matter how difficult times may be.

"May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you."

The Good News: Hope in Christ is love, and love is hope in Christ.

Olivia Muenter Olivia Muenter is a freelance writer and former fashion and beauty editor who writes about fashion, beauty, lifestyle, relationships, travel, home decor, and more for Woman's Day and beyond.

Elizabeth Berry Editorial Assistant Elizabeth Berry (she/her) is the digital editorial assistant for Woman’s Day, where she covers seasonal recipes, holiday gift ideas, and other lifestyle topics for the website.

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