I've been spending considerable time meditating and studying this topic, and while I don't pretend to have a perfect grasp of it maybe this will edify someone...
----
So what is faith? Well, we're told that...
Hebrews 11:1-3
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
So faith is:
1) Substance - and if we take the biblical definition of substance, it means "riches, resources, wealth"
2) Evidence - proof; testimony...like a receipt
Wealth and receipt...these are terms we often use in the world of finance when making purchases. So faith can be understood as the resources of the things one hopes for and the receipt or "proof of purchase" of things not yet seen. The writer of Hebrews is explaining the economy of the heavenly kingdom; not only what faith is but how even the Almighty uses faith to manifest His creation.
But these aren't the only elements to pay attention to in this economy. Just like money and receipts aren't the only elements involved in a basic transaction, there's also the ACT of purchase that charges one's account and makes the transaction. Trans-Action.
Say you wanted a chair for your home, and the chair costs $500. Let's say you have $1000 in your bank account. Clearly, you have enough "substance" for the thing you hope for...but if you never perform the required ACT of purchase (whether that's clicking the buy button on a website or physically visiting the store) it doesn't matter how much substance you have you will never receive the chair you hope for. A trans-action must be completed.
If faith is wealth used to receive the things one hopes for in the heavenly, then there must be a corresponding action tied across every instance of faith, else - just like money stashed in an old mattress - it's worthless. Elijah laid on a boy to resurrect him after prayer...but did he need to? Elisha, to heal the poisoned waters, placed a stick into it. Was there anything special about the stick? Peter stepped out of the boat to walk to the Messiah on the water and only started to sink when he doubted his action.
Since heaven supersedes the earth in authority, heaven's economy supersedes the earth's economy. This means while laws are fixed when operating in this world, those laws must always submit to heaven when a transaction of faith is made. Thus...
Luke 17:6 [brackets mine]
"If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say [i.e. the ACT] to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.
Ok, so how is faith also the receipt or "proof of purchase" of things not yet seen? Well if we consider our example purchase of the chair, we intuitively understand that when we purchase something tangible online we have a waiting period until it's delivered (and this waiting period is different for each item). And so immediately after purchase, we receive a receipt by email confirming our purchase and right to the item. It's as good as ours, and only a matter of time before we receive when we expect.
It would seem rather silly to purchase something online, receive a receipt for it, only to say "I'm not sure I'll ever get it." In fact, we're so confident it's on its way that if the item doesn't arrive precisely when expected we demand an explanation from the store. We've also most likely performed the act of making room in our home for the new chair. So there is no doubt in our mind that we'll receive what we bought until we're told otherwise because we have proof of purchase. Likewise, our faith in something - when directly tied to a related action - is proof that what we believe in "is" or "will be".
This is why we end all prayers with "Amen", meaning "so be it". It's the stamp of faith that whatever we ask for in the Messiah's name will be given so that the Father may be glorified. So then we ask in prayer, and then we act as if it's already ours...and there's our proof we'll get it. But if we don't act appropriately, then there's no proof we've exercised our faith.
