Faith is sometimes taken for granted, but this short verse offers a chance to look at it for its own sake. It is often spoken of as something to have, but it also is something to be immersed in. Faith is distinct from hope in this verse because it is both in the present and beyond probability. It is the assurance felt now when looking to the future and a felt sense of security in the face of a future unknown to us. Hope combats doubt directly, while faith eases the anxiety felt as a result of that conflict and uncertainty. Faith, at its most powerful, comforts the faithful by assuring them that God is already victorious. There is no doubt in the end and there is no chance of failure or destruction, and faith in that security is given to us in the present in order to ease our difficulties.
Faith is not something that comes from us; it is a gift from God. It is not a belief that we are meant to cling to in fear with white knuckles, but a calming blanket that God places on our shoulders to free us from terror. In that freedom and eternal security, temporal disappointments lose their power to destroy other temporal hopes. The faithful are shielded from hopelessness because the most important matter is not subject to doubt, and all things will be made beautiful in their time. In this Lenten season, how can faith ease the pain of worldly disappointments?
Logan Abraham 