Reaching Out in Faith

 

Are we worthy of God’s mercy? Are we deserving of having our burdens wiped away? A story in the Bible helps us understand how to reach out to God.

Consider the following scenario. A woman had suffered for years. Each day, she woke with the weight of her ailment on her. Those around her found it difficult to understand the severity of her affliction. They couldn’t grasp it—not fully. She had learned to conceal the worst of her affliction, but she knew the truth: she was not well.

Then, one day, word spread of a traveling physician unlike any other. He was world-renowned, a master in his field. The stories of his skill were known far and wide. Some claimed he had healed the incurable—that his abilities surpassed all others.

As the physician was moving through the streets the afflicted woman walked, a rare opportunity presented itself. Here was someone who could help her! The woman thought, “If only I could see him, I’d convince him of my worthiness to be examined. Perhaps he would have mercy on me and help me overcome this burdensome trial that has plagued me for years. I’m righteous. I’m just. I deserve to be whole.”

Perhaps, this physician could succeed where so many others had failed.

She was confident that, when he heard her story, he’d consider her case.

The power of God is still present, still working miracles and still healing the hurt and brokenhearted.The woman had seen other physicians, and though they promised relief, she remained afflicted. If anything, she had grown worse. Her resources were expended—every coin spent, every favor called in, all of it had gone toward seeking a cure. And yet, she was no closer to finding the healing she sought.

Still, she resolved to try once more. She planned her words carefully, rehearsing them in her mind. She would plead if necessary. She would explain the depth of her suffering, the years of pain, and her resounding righteousness. Surely, this great physician would sympathize with her. Surely, he would not turn her away. Surely, he’d find her worthy of his time and effort.

The real story

The woman is real. Her ailment is also factual. And in today’s society, it wouldn’t be far-fetched for her to plead her case to be seen by such a skillful physician.

But, the fact is, the approach mentioned above wasn’t the approach of the woman at all. She didn’t think herself worthy. She didn’t rehearse her words to convince the physician to receive her. And she didn’t assume she was more needy than anyone else.

Yet, the true story is far more amazing than fiction.

True faith revealed

True, the woman had already spent everything she had on physicians who could do nothing for her. She had endured their treatments and obeyed their instructions, and yet her condition remained. She had nothing left to offer. Perhaps all hope had slipped away, leaving her with nothing but misery.

However, she had heard of another Healer—not a physician in the traditional sense, but a Man known for miracles. Some called Him a teacher; others, a prophet. Many believed He was more than that. He had restored sight to the blind, healed the sick and raised the dead.

His name was Jesus.

He had the power to heal, and He did so freely.

Unlike regular physicians, Jesus didn’t require an appointment. He did not examine the worthy while ignoring the desperate. He didn’t expect exorbitant monetary payment for His services. He walked among the people, healing those whom society had cast aside. And so, she went to Him—not to plead her case, not to justify her worthiness, but simply to reach out in faith.

The woman went to the streets, where she found Jesus in the crowd surrounded by followers and skeptics alike. She had no plan to speak to Him. Her humility likely kept her from even considering speaking to Jesus. She simply thought, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well” (Mark 5:28, English Standard Version).

She had faith—genuine belief that all she needed to do was draw close to the Son of God and her life would change forever.

So, she reached out to her Savior.

Her hand brushed His garment, and in that instant, the weight that had burdened her lifted. Her affliction was gone. The woman who had suffered for years became whole through the mighty power of God’s Holy Spirit.

And in that moment, Jesus stopped, turned and asked, “Who touched My clothes?” (verse 30).

Not with pride, not with a sense of worthiness, but with trembling and fear—reverence—the woman stepped forward and fell at Jesus’ feet, where she told her Savior the truth of how she had suffered, how she had spent all she had, and how she had been without hope. But she had faith that a mere touch of His garment would heal her.

And it had!

Jesus looked at her—not with condemnation, not with irritation, but with love. “Daughter,” He said, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction” (verse 34).

The cure had not come from a physician. It had not come through wealth, status or careful persuasion. Nor did the healing power reside in the hem of Jesus’ garment, but in the Son of God Himself.

The power of healing Jesus displayed did not require His physical presence, nor did it require His physical touch. The lesson Jesus was teaching was about faith, about the yearning to draw near to Him.

The woman believed Jesus. She had known deep within her being that if only she could draw closer to Him, if only she could reach out, everything would be well.

And it was.

The woman’s healing came because of her genuine faith. And her act of faith was deeply representative of the faith we all need to have—faith “more precious than gold” (1 Peter 1:7).

In our own lives, there’s no requirement to physically touch Jesus to receive mercy and healing. But we are called to move closer spiritually to the Father and Son (James 4:8). Spiritually reaching symbolizes our desire to be nearer to God, to trust in Him, and to believe that He alone holds the power to restore us.

Narrowing the gap

Are we spiritually reaching? After God has called us, do we understand that truly seeking Him is what it takes to narrow the gap between God and us (Jeremiah 29:13)? This woman knew that the power of God was not distant or unattainable—it was near, it was within her reach.

Closing the distance between us and God is a vital part of our Christian walk. Too often we hesitate, believing that we must first be worthy—that we must first earn His attention. But God doesn’t demand such things. He asks that we come—that we believe—that we reach (Matthew 11:28-30).

So how do we close the gap?

Spending time studying the Bible brings us closer to God and helps us learn more about His heart and His ways.

Meditating on God’s Word allows His truth to sink deep within us.

Praying to God opens a direct line of communication with Him, enabling us to share our burdens, seek His wisdom and grow in our relationship with Him.

Acknowledging our sins and repenting is another crucial step—we must recognize our need for righteousness and turn away from the things that keep us distant from God.

Obeying God’s commandments is another vital part of closing the gap. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Obedience to God is a direct reflection of our faith in Him. When we follow God’s Word, we align ourselves with His will, and the distance between us and Him is reduced.

Fellowshipping with other believers can strengthen our faith as well. When we spend quality time with others who are seeking God, we come away invigorated, inspired and reminded of God’s faithfulness. We weren’t meant to walk this journey alone. God calls us to be part of something greater than ourselves, the Body of Christ—the Church—where we can find support, understanding and love.

Life will always bring trials and difficulties. Challenges will rise, and storms will come. But God the Father and Jesus Christ are always near, ready to pour out healing, ready to restore, and ready to embrace those who come to Them in faith. The power of God is still present, still working miracles and still healing the hurt and brokenhearted. To receive God’s help, all it takes is closing the distance.

Just as it was for the woman in need of healing, our lives can change forever if we simply believe and trust and reach out in faith.

If you’d like to learn more about building the faith needed for this Christian journey, I encourage you to explore the “Armor of God” Journey series on the Life, Hope & Truth Learning Center.

Trusting God in Times of Uncertainty

 

Would we grow in faith if we knew exactly what would happen to us? In our most anxious moments, we long for clarity, but what we really need is faith.

Here’s a scenario you can probably relate to.

You’re going about your daily life when something unexpected and worrisome intrudes. Your routine medical checkup reveals something bad, your company announces layoffs, or the person you’re dating says he or she is rethinking the relationship because things have been rocky.

Anxiety grips you. Your insides feel hollowed out, and your mind scrambles for any small concession to make you feel less lost and more in control.

If I just knew a little more about what’s coming next, I could manage this, you tell yourself.

Clarity—it’s what we’re so often convinced we need to ease our anxiety. But is it always helpful?

Why it often doesn’t bring us peace

Of course, not every desire for clarity is bad. The clarity we want when we reach for a light switch, or when we study company policy to know what our employer expects of us, or when we ask questions in class—these are all good and productive.

But when life blindsides us hard—whether in our health, finances, relationships or an unanticipated difficulty or setback—and anxiety swells, the clarity we crave can become more like a desire for a divine blueprint. We reason that if we had just a kernel of our future, or the assurance of a specific revelation from God, we could face our problems head-on without fear or uncertainty.

The problem is, that kind of clarity wouldn’t necessarily give us what we’re looking for.

Remember Moses at the burning bush? God meets with him personally to share details about his mission and Israel’s future. For two whole chapters (Exodus 3-4), God lays out a step-by-step plan of what He’s going to accomplish through Moses, even performing on-the-spot miracles to help build his confidence.

But what happens? Moses still shrinks back. He sells himself short, makes excuses and begs God to send someone—anyone—else instead of him.

Even with every question answered, every concern addressed and every proof given, Moses’ anxiety still manages to creep in.

Faith isn’t built by having perfect foreknowledge. It’s forged on the training ground of uncertainty.And remember the Israelites on the brink of inheriting the Promised Land? Their exodus from Egypt had been backed by astounding miracles, like the parting of the Red Sea and God’s ongoing presence in the pillar of fire and cloud. At every point in their winding journey, they had a constant reminder that God was actively fulfilling His promises to them.

But what happens? A bad report of Canaan from 10 of the Israelite spies sends the camp into a tailspin (Numbers 13-14). Fear floods in. Anxiety takes hold—again.

We could go on and on. Elijah witnesses God’s power and revelation firsthand, but anxiety persists. Peter, despite being warned he will deny our Lord three times, still lets his fear take over.

What’s the point? Knowing the future doesn’t force us to take the right steps, and it doesn’t always bring the peace and comfort we expect. We crave clarity, but as these examples show, it often doesn’t deliver on its promises. And more than that, it distracts us from a more pressing Christian priority: faith.

It’s a matter of faith

The Bible tells us that by faith Moses and others were able to overcome their anxiety and fulfill the responsibilities God had given them (Hebrews 11).

Jesus obviously knows we will face challenges in our lives, yet He doesn’t tell us to pray for signs that will reveal all the specific details we might want to know about our future.

Instead, He calls on us to exercise faith.

Jesus says that even a small amount of faith can move mountains (Matthew 17:20). He commends those who demonstrate great faith (Matthew 8:10) and chides His disciples for their lack of faith (Mark 4:40). He rhetorically asks whether He will find faith when He returns (Luke 18:8) and urges people not to fear but to believe (Mark 5:36).

God wants us to grow in faith.

What does the Bible say about the cast of biblical heroes in Hebrew 11, the ones who are held up as examples and promised an eternal place in God’s family? Does it say they “obtained a good testimony” because they had everything figured out and could see exactly what was coming during every trial?

No, it says that they obtained a good testimony “through faith” (verse 39).

Because, as it turns out, faith isn’t built by having perfect foreknowledge. It’s forged on the training ground of uncertainty. It’s when we can’t see how a trial will work out that we’re pushed to trust the God who sees everything.

This is what Peter was getting at when he wrote about how valuable trials are in developing our faith:

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7; emphasis added throughout).

But let’s be clear: prioritizing faith doesn’t mean we get to sit back and do nothing. That’s worth noting, especially in a time when the phrase “let go and let God” has gained so much traction in people’s thinking.

Exercising faith means resisting the urge to let our anxious thoughts run wild and refusing to play the “what if” game. It means digging into the Bible to inform our minds of God’s promises and the stories that spotlight His faithfulness. It means sifting through Scripture for the right principles to apply in whatever situation we’re up against.

And it means praying our hearts out for the deliverance only God can bring.

As Paul wrote, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

What faith looks like in practice

Jacob often gets remembered for his deceit (for example, Genesis 27:19), but his story is also filled with moments of growing faith. Just like us, he found himself stuck in a bind, desperately needing a way out.

At one point, Jacob received news that his brother Esau—perhaps still holding onto anger and bitterness over Jacob’s trickery—was on his way to meet him, and he wasn’t alone.

He was bringing four hundred men.

The Bible tells us, “So Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed” (Genesis 32:7).

But notice what happened next: “Then Jacob said, ‘O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the LORD who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you’: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies.

“Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children. For You said, ‘I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude’” (verses 9-12).

Consider his prayer. Consider how he clung to the promises God had given him. Consider his attempt at trust when everything felt up in the air.

Consider his faith.

God, of course, honored Jacob’s prayer, and in a twist of events, Esau showed up warm and friendly. No showdown, just open arms.

But that’s not the only important lesson here.

If Jacob had been able to see everything with crystal clarity, he wouldn’t have had any need to step out in faith—and without that, there wouldn’t have been any spiritual refining of his character.

It was in the not knowing, in the uncertainty, that his faith had room to grow.

He needed the struggle—and so do we.

A peace more secure than we can imagine

Life gets hectic, and none of us are strangers to that. But what we crave in the midst of our anxiety reveals a kernel of self-knowledge.

If we’re chasing the quick fix of signs and glimpses into our future, we may be setting ourselves up for disappointment and ignoring our spiritual priorities.

God does promise us peace of mind, but it’s not found in the places we’re so often inclined to look. The peace we are offered is the byproduct of trusting in the One who assures us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” and “all things work together for good to those who love God” (Hebrews 13:5; Romans 8:28).

Knowing the details of our future is overrated, but building faith is priceless.

Hope and Faith in Action

 

The Bible mentions both hope and faith repeatedly. What does the Bible say about how hope and faith work together in the life of a Christian?

The writer of Hebrews tells us at the beginning of what is popularly called the “Faith Chapter” that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1, English Standard Version).

Faith is described as confidence, while hope is described as an expectation of something unseen, presumably because it has not yet come to pass. In this introduction to the Faith Chapter, then, we see faith and hope as separate aspects of Christian character that work together.

Simply put, hope is anticipation, and faith is trust in God.

Hope focuses on the future. It lies in the expectation of something coming to pass. It is directed toward the object of our expectations.

Biblical faith, on the other hand, is belief and trust in God, the One who can fulfill those expectations. Faith is founded on God—who He is now, what He has done and what He has promised. He is the One who makes our future hopes possible.

As Christians, we can have hope in what most people see as unrealistic or impossible because we place our faith in God the Father and in Jesus the Son.

Moving mountains through faith

However, we must be careful with our hopes and our faith. We must be sure that our hopes are based on God’s promises, not on something God would view as working against His plans. And we must firmly place our faith in God Himself, not in some particular outcome or sequence of events.

Christians can have hope in abundance, because we have a faithful God.We must carefully consider what is truly promised in God’s Word. For instance, immediately after Jesus told His disciples to “have faith in God” (Mark 11:22), He told them that if they did not doubt, they could cast mountains into the sea (verse 23). Did Jesus intend us to actually move mountains?

There is no historical record of anyone casting mountains into the sea. And we have no reason to do so. Clearly, Jesus did not intend for His disciples to take His words literally, but figuratively. What He was telling them was that through their belief in God, they could perform the mighty deeds necessary to fulfill His will.

Reading through Acts, we see many figurative mountains being cast into the sea. For example, Peter’s faith in God enabled Dorcas to be brought back to life (Acts 9:36-42). Likewise, Paul’s faith in God enabled the resurrection of Eutychus (Acts 20:7-12).

The key is God’s will.

Our hopes will never come to fruition if they are not according to God’s will. But they cannot fail if they stand upon God’s promises and are accompanied by real faith in Him.

Why it’s important to understand hope and faith

Some people think of faith as merely believing that what they want will come to pass. This concept is not biblical, and it can lead to disappointment.

Our faith must always be in God and Christ, not in the fulfillment of some specific hope. Faith is in the character of God.

Hope, on the other hand, is what we anticipate and desire. Our desires can be selfish or reasonable. Our hope can be misguided or biblical. When hopes don’t materialize, people often feel betrayed by God. But they may not have considered whether their hope was biblical, that is, according to God’s will.

To hope to win the lottery, for example, is a hope, but not a biblical hope based on God’s promises. In fact, this hope may very well be opposed to God’s will and plan for your life. Such a hope is misguided.

Even when our hopes are more reasonable, they may not fit with God’s will. It’s reasonable to believe that God will bless us with a better job or a new home. It’s reasonable that He will help us find that special someone to marry. These are reasonable hopes, but they are not guaranteed.

That’s because God does not promise these things. These are hopes that may or may not align with God’s will in specific circumstances. They should not be the objects of faith.

The object of our faith is God Himself. We trust Him regardless of whether our prayers are answered as we want, whether our hopes come to pass or whether we understand what He is doing in our lives.

Hope and faith for the Christian

The world today is fast losing hope. When we look around at the state of the world, it’s easy to see why so many people are fearful rather than hopeful. Wars are springing up everywhere. The world seems to be on the brink of an economic depression. There is talk of disease pandemics.

Christians, on the other hand, can have hope in abundance, because we have a faithful God.

We can be inspired by the words in a letter the prophet Jeremiah wrote to his fellow countrymen who had been taken in chains to Babylon. These were dark days for the people of ancient Judah. There seemed to be no hope.

God, however, directed Jeremiah to write to them, saying, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Although Jeremiah wrote these words to people who lived more than 2,500 years ago, they still resonate with Christians today. Our faith is in God, who has promised us “a future and a hope.”

The Meaning of Hope and Faith

 

The Bible teaches both faith in God and hope in God. What’s the relationship between hope and faith? And why do we desperately need both?

Eight New Testament passages mention both faith and hope. And no wonder, since both are essential for a Christian.

Paul even lists faith and hope along with love as three things, the “choicest graces,” that remain (1 Corinthians 13:13, Amplified Bible).

Faith meaning

In the New Testament the English word faith is used to translate the Greek word pistis. The New Strong’s Expanded Dictionary of Bible Words says, “‘Faith’ means trust, confidence, assurance, and belief” (p. 1315).

The Bible also describes pistis in Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

The New Bible Dictionary notes, “Faith implies complete reliance on God and full obedience to God” (1982, p. 368).

Hope meaning

The Greek noun translated “hope” is elpis, and it means “desire for future good, accompanied by faith in its realization. The object both of faith and hope is unseen” (The Complete Word Study Dictionary, New Testament, p. 572).

Today, hope is often described as fleeting and illusory, but biblical hope is different. It is anchored in our living, loving God, so it is real and lasting. Without God, there really is no hope (Ephesians 2:12).

Biblical hope doesn’t depend on our circumstances or chance.

Christian faith is not complete without hope, and Christian hope is not complete without faith.The New Bible Dictionary highlights the example of Abraham and Sarah. They had tried for decades to have a child, and yet when Sarah was 90 years old, well past childbearing age, God again promised them a son.

“There was . . . nothing in the situation in which Abraham found himself to justify his hope that Sarah would give birth to a son, but because he believed in God, he could ‘in hope’ believe ‘against hope’ (Rom. 4:18).

“Biblical hope is inseparable therefore from faith in God . . .

“The heroes of faith in Heb. 11 are also beacons of hope” (1982, p. 489).

Relationship between faith and hope

The concepts of faith and hope are often mentioned together in the Bible, and for good reason. They are so interrelated—Christian faith is not complete without hope, and Christian hope is not complete without faith.

Faith gives reality to the things we hope for (Hebrews 11:1)—the wonderful promises of God.

Both faith and hope are part of the armor God gives to protect us:

“Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation” (Ephesians 6:16-17).

In 1 Thessalonians 5:8 Paul adds that the helmet is “the hope of salvation.” What could be more hopeful than God’s plan to save us and make us His children? (Study these parts of the armor of God further in our articles “What Is the Shield of Faith?” and “What Is the Helmet of Salvation?”)

Hope helps us endure, patiently and eagerly waiting with faith:

• “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father” (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3, emphasis added throughout).
• “For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith” (Galatians 5:5).

Why faith is necessary

As Paul and Silas explained to the Philippian jailer they had saved from suicide, faith is essential in the process of salvation (Acts 16:31).

And without faith, it is not possible to please God:

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Study more about faith in our online article “What Is Faith?”

Why hope is important

Without the hope of salvation and eternal life, our lives would be meaningless and hopeless. Without hope, we become discouraged, aimless, rudderless and anchorless. But God gives us a sure hope to motivate us:

“That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (Hebrews 6:18-19).

To survive the storms of life, we need that refuge and that anchor. We need that motivation and power. That godly “hope does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5).

Study more about hope in our article “The Power of Hope.”

Faith, hope and love

In the famous Love Chapter, the apostle Paul linked these two gifts along with love:

“And now there remain: faith [abiding trust in God and His promises], hope [confident expectation of eternal salvation], love [unselfish love for others growing out of God’s love for me], these three [the choicest graces]; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13, Amplified Bible).

These three lasting pillars of the Christian life work together.

In his study Bible, William Barclay summed this up:

“Great as faith and hope are, love is still greater. Faith without love is cold, and hope without love is grim. Love is the fire which kindles faith and it is the light which turns hope into certainty.”

Study further in our article “The Love Chapter.”

 

Sidebar: Seeing the Unseen

The New Testament records a number of amazing miracles where God gave blind people their sight.

But even more amazing is the miracle of God giving us spiritual sight.

The Christian life exists on two levels. A Christian must navigate the physical challenges of this life. But there is more happening on the spiritual level. To follow Christ, a believer must fight unseen enemies and must sometimes make choices that don’t make sense to physical eyes.

This requires spiritual vision. It takes walking by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).

And it takes hoping for things that cannot yet be seen by the human eye.

“For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance” (Romans 8:24-25).

God’s plan and love for us give us great hope! Once God calls us, He doesn’t give up on us, and He can work in every situation we face, even when we can’t see it.

Paul went on to write, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (verse 28; see “What Does Romans 8:28 Mean?”).

Faith and hope are both part of the gift of spiritual vision—the vision that will help us reach the promised inheritance, the city “whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10).