Back to or first scripture:
He 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
We have discussed the ``hope factor''. This verse says that faith is the substance of things hoped for. What do we mean here by ``substance''?
I like to think of it like this: if faith is the substance, then hope is the mold. Hope defines what this faith will look like. When a construction crew digs out the foundation for a new building, they need to erect concrete forms to act as a mold to make the actual foundation. The forms determine what the foundation will look like.
For those of you more comfortable in the kitchen than the construction field, think of a Jello mold. It is the hope. It defines what the finished product will look like. When you pour the Jello into the mold and let it sit there for the required time, you have a nice molded Jello desert. Likewise for the concrete forms and the foundation. The concrete is like the faith. You pour it into the mold of hope, and you hope that it will turn out that way.
So when we use hope to define our needs or desires, and we use faith to fill our hopes, then the faith gives substance to what was previously just an empty hope. Faith is the substance. Hope is the shape, but with nothing of substance in it until we add faith.