When Faith Feels Like It’s Not Enough

A biblical look at what faith is—and why it matters when healing hasn’t come yet

 

You’ve prayed. You’ve believed. You’ve stood on the promises. And you’re still waiting.

If that’s where you are right now, this is not a call to try harder, pretend harder, or force yourself into a spiritual posture you do not actually possess. But it is a call to examine the foundation beneath your feet.

Faith is not optional. It is not decorative, nor a vague religious feeling we add to our prayers. Faith is the way we receive from God.

Bible teacher Derek Prince often pointed out that many believers are not defeated by a total absence of faith, but by confusion about what faith actually is. If faith is misunderstood, it cannot function as God designed it.

Here are four biblical truths that bring clarity and strength when healing has not yet come.

Your Faith Is Your Own

There are moments when the faith of others carries us. Friends pray when we are too weary. Pastors speak Scripture when our hearts feel numb. But no believer is ultimately called to live by someone else’s faith.

Romans 1:17 says, “The righteous shall live by faith.” That is personal. Jesus responded to faith, challenged unbelief, and asked direct questions: “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (Matthew 9:28).

That question still stands. Do you believe what God has said?

Faith must become personal. It must be aligned with Scripture, and it must trust God according to His Word.

Faith Is the Only Basis God Accepts

Scripture does not treat faith as one spiritual option among many.

Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him.” Romans 14:23 says, “Whatever is not from faith is sin.” God is not moved by performance, panic, or self-effort dressed in spiritual language. He responds to faith because faith honors Him as truthful, faithful, and able.

Faith says: God is who He says He is. God will do what He has promised. His Word is more reliable than what I feel, see, or fear.

This is not about pretending pain isn’t real. It is about refusing to let pain become more authoritative than the Word of God.

Faith Is Alive, Which Means It Moves

Faith is not passive.

The woman with the issue of blood didn’t merely hope healing was possible. She said, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well”—and then she moved toward Him (Matthew 9:21). Blind Bartimaeus didn’t silently admire the possibility of mercy. When others told him to be quiet, he cried out all the more (Mark 10:47).

Faith is not frantic.

It hears the Word, responds to the Word, and keeps walking in the Word.

So the question in a waiting season isn’t only when will this change? It’s also: has disappointment trained me to stand still?

Faith Is Only as Strong as What It’s Anchored To

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Faith is not a mood, emotional momentum, or the ability to sound confident in prayer. Faith has substance because God’s Word has substance. Romans 10:17 is plain: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

So the question must be asked honestly: am I standing on what God has said, or only on what I desperately want Him to do? Once you know what you’re standing on, you can return to the only foundation that cannot be shaken.

The Difference Between Faith and Hope

Hope and faith are both essential—but they are not the same.

Hope looks forward. Romans 8:24-25 says we “eagerly wait” for what we do not yet see. Hope waits for what is not yet seen.

Faith lays hold of what God has said now.

Hope says, I believe God can. Faith says, I trust what God has said. Hope expects. Faith receives.

This distinction matters when healing hasn’t come. A believer may sincerely hope to be healed and still need to become firmly established in what Scripture says—about healing, the authority of Jesus, the goodness of God, the promises of His Word. That is not condemnation. It is clarity. And faith cannot stand firmly on a promise it has not heard, understood, or received.

A Word for the Waiting

Go back to the Word. Stay with the Word. Let it search you, correct you, and anchor you.

Jesus is still the Healer. His Word is still true. Faith still comes by hearing. And God is still worthy of your trust.

If you’re praying and waiting today, we want to stand with you. Reach out to our prayer team—because He has not stopped speaking, and He has not stopped healing.

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Inspired by God’s Word Heals by Derek Prince, published by Whitaker House. We’re honored to partner with Derek Prince Ministries in bringing his biblical legacy to new generations.

Frequently Asked Questions.

Q: What does the Bible say about faith and healing?
Scripture teaches that faith is the means by which we receive from God. Hebrews 11:6 says it is impossible to please God without faith, and Romans 10:17 reminds us that faith comes by hearing the Word of God—not by measuring our symptoms or feelings.

Q: What is the difference between faith and hope in the Bible?
Hope and faith are both essential, but they function differently. Hope looks forward to what God will do. Faith stands on what God has already said. Hope expects. Faith receives.

Q: How do I strengthen my faith when I’m struggling?
Romans 10:17 gives the clearest answer: faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Not by striving harder or feeling more confident—by returning to Scripture, staying with it, and letting it anchor your trust in God’s promises.