The terms “faith” and “hope” are often confused and used interchangeably.
In the Christian tradition, faith refers to believing in God and His promises, whereas hope refers to wishing for and awaiting eternal life with faith. In other words, the virtue of faith is the foundation for the virtue of hope. This is true not only when we think of hope in its purest form, desiring and waiting for Heaven, but also applies to all other areas of our lives.
Our faith in God feeds our hope when we wish and wait on God’s promises. Our faith in God feeds our hope when we wish and wait for an answer to our prayers. Our faith in God feeds our hope when we wish and wait for a miracle. Faith is the mother of hope, and hope makes us like children at heart.
Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'”
Matthew 19:14
To live with hope despite life’s hardest trials and injustices, one must have unwavering faith in God and His promises. But how do we attain these beautiful virtues?
Like all other theological virtues, faith and hope are infused by God supernaturally. So what if we have little faith and little hope to begin with? Does it mean God doesn’t want us to have these virtues?
No! It is God’s will for all of us to have faith and hope, but we have to accept God’s graces! Some people are so afraid of being hurt, that they will reject love, they can’t accept someone else’s love. In the same manner, many of us reject God’s graces or don’t pray to receive more grace. However, we have a choice and we can choose to change that!
God is generous and gracious and if we turn to Him asking for an increase in faith and hope, He will listen to our prayers and meet us exactly where we are in our journeys and help us from there.
‘If you can’?’ said Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for one who believes.’ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’
Mark 9:23-24
‘So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'”
Luke 11:9-13
When we start praying to God for an increase in faith, we might not have much faith to begin with. But God only needs us to take the first step, and only a tiny bit of faith from us to start His work in us and perfect it. After all, God’s greatest miracle is to change our hearts and make us holy.
And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
2 Corinthians 12:9
… Amen, I say to you, if you have faith as tiny as a mustard seed, you will be able to say to this mountain: ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:20
You might not even believe there is a God yet, but if you are open-minded enough to accept that possibility and take the step to find out and seek God, that tiny act of faith is an invitation to God to hold your hand and start guiding you in the rest of your conversion process. On the other hand, you might have always believed in God, but you’re experiencing circumstances that are testing your faith and causing you severe doubts. Just know that you don’t have to walk this path alone, you can pray for an increase in faith and hope when you feel you are about to give up. Don’t be afraid to pray and ask for any miracle you’d like to see in your life, always adding “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) and “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42).
The beauty of asking for an increase in faith and hope is that you are being humble and accepting that you can’t do this alone and that you need God. You are opening the door to God to also show you His love for you. Over time, this dynamic will also strengthen your connection and relationship with God, and the more you have faith and hope in Him, the more you will also be filled with the virtue of charity and will be able to love God even more, and the more you love Him, the greater your trust and faith in Him will become. In synthesis, love, faith, and hope work with each other and feed off of each other.
When your love, faith, and hope increase, then you will naturally also begin accepting God’s love for you and will recognize it more clearly in different circumstances in your life. In addition, the more you trust and love God, the more you will trust His plan and His will for your life, which will also lead you to align your will with His will more often and discover your true life’s purpose. An increase in faith and hope will also open your spiritual eyes to start seeing more miracles around you. Even if there is a delay in God’s response to your prayers, faith and hope will allow you to grow in other virtues during your wait, such as growing in the virtues of patience and long-suffering, which will strengthen your character.
Even when it seems like God isn’t answering your prayers, when you ask for an increase in faith, you will notice that you won’t lose your hope. Instead, greater faith will make you have more hope in spite of what your eyes can presently see, or you will receive a “no” answer from God and accept it with peace and understanding that your pain isn’t in vain, that God has something even better for you in store, and that He might be saying you “no” to protect you and prevent more pain in your future. Faith will lead you to grow in wisdom, to learn from life’s most challenging circumstances and gain meaningful lessons, a stronger character, a more compassionate spirit, a more forgiving soul, and a more perfect way of understanding love towards God, yourself, and others.
So today, if you are sad, or have lost all hope, or are reaching a breaking point and feel weak, uncertain, and exhausted, please pray to God! Expose your wounds to Him, express your anger, fears, and your deepest feelings. Be vulnerable to Him and ask for His love and His embrace. Be honest and say “Father, my faith is weak, please help me with my unbelief.” Let God know if you feel broken or simply a little doubtful and ask “please Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, your most beloved Son, my Lord and Savior, please increase my faith in you and restore my hope, so that I may see your hand in everyday of my life. Amen.”
Some of God’s Promises
- Everything that God allows (even if it’s not His original will for us), He can ultimately use for the greatest good of those who love Him – Romans 8:28
- His true plans for you are for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope – Jeremiah 29:11
- Those who hope in the Lord will see their strength being renewed – Isaiah 40:31
- The Lord will fight for you, just be still – Exodus 14:14
- God will give you wisdom if you just ask Him for it – Luke 11:13, James 1:5
- He will forgive us and purify is when we confess our sins – 1 John 1:9
- God will heal your deepest spiritual and emotional wounds (and if it is His will he can also heal your physical health) – Jeremiah 33:6, Job 33:25-26, Matthew 4:23
- God loves you! – John 3:16
Having faith in God means that you believe in Him and in His promises. Believing in Him and His promises will allow you to have hope for your future despite any present circumstances that you might be experiencing.