The Assurance of What We Hope For — sacred illustration
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Faith & Doubt

The Assurance of What We Hope For

Hebrews 11:1

Hebrews 11:1 says: “Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.” It opens Hebrews 11, the chapter that remembers the faith of Abel, Noah, Abraham, Moses and many others.

Lord God, I cannot see yet what You have promised, and some days that is hard. Give me faith that is the assurance of what I hope for and the certainty of what I do not see. Like Abraham, help me go where You call, even when I do not know the way. Strengthen my faith where it is weak, and keep my eyes fixed on Jesus. Amen.

Hebrews 11:1 says: “Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.” It opens Hebrews 11, the chapter that remembers the faith of Abel, Noah, Abraham, Moses and many others.

The Scripture

“Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.”

— Hebrews 11:1

Prayer points from Hebrews 11:1

  1. Thank God for the hope you have in Him.
  2. Tell Him honestly what you are struggling to believe.
  3. Ask Him for assurance in what you hope for.
  4. Ask Him for certainty about what you cannot see.
  5. Name one step of obedience He is asking of you.
  6. Thank Him for the people of faith who went before you.

About this verse

Hebrews was written to believers who needed encouragement to keep going. The chapter before tells them not to throw away their confidence and to persevere, and it ends by saying that we are not of those who shrink back, but of those who have faith. Then Hebrews 11 says what faith is: the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see. The rest of the chapter shows faith in action. By faith Noah, warned about things not yet seen, built an ark. By faith Abraham obeyed and went, without knowing where he was going. Many of them, the chapter says, died in faith without having received the things they were promised, yet they saw them and welcomed them from afar. Faith here is trusting God enough to act before you can see the outcome. Hebrews 12 goes on to tell us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. It is a prayer for anyone who is waiting and wants to keep trusting.

When to pray this prayer

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