crossnote, you posted that as i was typing so i didn't see it. i have a question : what do you mean by faith exactly? that's something i'm struggling with. (not the object or the subject of faith which we can discuss later but faith itself).
An issue most common between most people in the world now and for thousands of years back, is religion. The notion there is no "god" at all could still get you beaten to death in India. The main reason, as I understand it, is any dismantling of established, accepted religious entity there is illegal, why still priests forbid conversion from Hinduism to any other religion. Right away an agnostic or atheist ought to realize their membership in a tiny minority of humanity.
I like to point to Acts 17 as applicable to any nation on earth, among all people groups to some extent. Paul visited Athens, found some Jews and other God-fearing citizens or maybe fellow visitors, sharing the gospel with them. He was heard by some Athenians who were among the elite Greek philosophers called the Areopagus. Paul was brought before that committee, which besides debated ideas, also guarded the realm of ideas such that Athens was protected from new religions, or adding of one more Greek god. They had plenty to deal with, many idols throughout the city. But Paul had been to mars Hill and found one altar "To the Unknown God".
All along was with that city an accepted god idol they knew
nothing about! God has been among people like that all along, yet few if any bother to investigate. It remains just another idol, an idea. Paul resorted to that altar, having by it opportunity to present a new religion, identifying the Person that altar spoke about. Some of the Aeropagus scorned the idea of Jesus and his resurrection, but some believed.
The hearing of the word of God, the gospel, allowed some hearers to believe by faith such that some Aeropagans of Athens followed Paul.
All people of earth can begin using belief in idols enough to sacrifice even their children to them, giving up kmouontains of wealth to dumb idols of stone and metal. Possibly they do so through superstition mostly, but many do so because their very culture exists around some supposed god or goddess.
Belief like that becomes biblical "faith" when a person not only agrees with knowledge of the only living God, but acts upon faith such that they change the direction of their life by the power of God through Jesus Christ. No other religion/belief can offer faith since there is no possibility of a person relationship deeper than a cultural bond. No other religion allows a god or goddess to die for the sins of worshipers.
Over a period of struggling over mere belief about Jesus, when I heard it preached about those possibly most intelligent people on earth believing on Christ, following Paul, my own intellectual barriers began to dissolve. The day finally came when I suddenly accepted that Jesus is alive and God was inviting me to follow him, beginning a life of following him instead of avoiding further knowledge of Jesus.
Once I passed through that encounter with Jesus (not at all as wonderful as Paul's), I didn't have to live by hope about Jesus, for then I knew Jesus. I knew him because of the word of God I heard, by faith believing since faith came by hearing it. From then faith rewarded me in many ways, at first seeing people I knew healed by miracles, setting me up for my own personal amazing miracle healing events which came by prayer and standing firm on the promises of the word. It wasn't easy, for I had become and was very active as a Southern Baptist member, among people that cautioned never to presume upon God for anything.
12 of Jesus' earliest disciples joined up with the Lord, followed him by the faith from his words, and even though they all abandoned him during his crucifixion week, that faith instilled in them brought them back, except Judas Iscariot. None of us can physically walk dusty trails with Jesus like they did, but every day of my life is geared about listening to his voice deep inside my being, then doing what he says. it's been a great life in Jesus Christ.
I don't rely upon faith to "find" God. Hope helped me find him, faith introduced me. Today that faith in Jesus, and knowing him personally is what keeps me following with eagerness, together with all that comes from building a godly personal relationship. Lack of spending time to develop that relationship makes it impossible to follow. That's what happened to Judas, who left the presence of the Lord, seeking his own desires apart from Jesus.
I hope like many here you will begin with hope, then find Jesus through the words of his good news (gospel) while enjoying the benefits of his faith.