The Minstrel’s Posture in the Not-Yet
Faith and hope are inseparable. While in the middle of this study on Psalm 42, on the psalmist’s practice of speaking to his soul, on what it means to hope in God — Holy Spirit brought a scripture to me:
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” — Hebrews 11:1 NKJV
He’s connecting threads. Because what Psalm 42 establishes in practice, Hebrews 11:1 explains in principle. Faith and hope work together — and for the minstrel, understanding how they connect changes everything about how you lead, how you play, and how you stand in the not-yet.
Faith and Hope Are Not the Same Thing
But they are inseparable.
Hope is the direction — your soul fixed on God, anchored in expectation of Who He is.
Faith is the substance — what that hope produces when it is properly placed.
You cannot have genuine biblical faith without first having genuine biblical hope. Because the text says faith is the substance of things hoped for. The hope comes first. The hope is the foundation that faith is built on.
Misplaced Hope Produces Unstable Faith
If your hope is in circumstances — in how things look, in whether the situation improves, in what people do or don’t do — then your faith has nothing solid to stand on. When the circumstances shift, the faith shakes.
But when your hope is in God — anchored in Who He is, fixed on His nature, His faithfulness, His unchanging Word — then faith rises from something immovable. You have substance. You have evidence. You have something real to stand on even when you cannot see it yet.
What Substance Means
The Greek word for substance in Hebrews 11:1 is hupostasis — literally, that which stands under. It is a foundation word. A weight-bearing word.
When your hope is in God, your faith does not float. It does not waver with every wind of circumstance. It stands on something. It has hupostasis — an immovable foundation beneath it.
That is what it means to play from faith rather than from feeling. You are not generating something in the moment. You are standing on something that was already established.
The Evidence of Things Not Seen
The second part of Hebrews 11:1 is just as significant. Faith is the evidence of things not seen.
Evidence is not a feeling. Evidence is not an impression. Evidence is something that holds up — in a courtroom, in a storm, in the middle of a worship set where nothing in the natural seems to be moving.
Your faith — rooted in your hope in God — is itself the evidence. You do not need to see the answer yet. Your anchored, expectant, hope-filled faith is the proof that the answer exists.
What This Means for the Minstrel
You stand at the keys. The atmosphere may be heavy. The congregation may be dry. The circumstances around you — or inside you — may be telling you nothing is happening.
But your hope is in God. Not in the moment. Not in the response. Not in how the room feels. In God.
And because your hope is anchored there — your faith has substance. You are not playing toward something you are wishing for. You are playing from something you already know is real.
That is not performance. That is not generated energy. That is a minstrel operating from Hebrews 11:1.
The sound that comes out of that place is different.
It carries substance. It carries evidence. It carries the weight of a soul that is fully anchored and fully expecting.
It is the sound of someone who has governed their inner man, fixed their hope in God, and stepped into the room with faith that stands.
That is the sound that shifts atmospheres.
Featured Resource
This post inspired a design. The Hope in God tee was created straight from Psalm 42:5 — a wearable declaration for every minstrel, worshipper, and believer who has learned to anchor their soul in God in the middle of the not-yet.
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Prayer Declaration
Father, I thank You that my faith has substance because my hope is in You. I will not play from feeling. I will not lead from what I see. I anchor my hope in Who You are — unchanging, faithful, present. My faith stands on You. And as I open my mouth, as I place my hands on these keys, let what comes forth carry the evidence of things not yet seen. Let it be weighted with Heaven. Let it shift what needs to shift. I play from Hebrews 11:1, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Stay Connected
This is the final post in a four-part series on the soul, the Psalms, and the minstrel’s posture. Subscribe to the Bring Me A Minstrel community to continue going deeper.
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