I have a love/hate relationship with Abraham. Now that I think about it, my love/hate struggle isn’t actually with Abraham, but with his story.
He was called by God. I love that part.
He was called by God to leave what was comfortable. Hate that part.
He was told to go to something new. New? Love that!
He wasn’t told where that new place was. Blind faith? Hate that.
He saw stars and sand and received a promise of nations. Sign me up for that!
He had to wait a really long time to see the beginning of that promise and never lived to see the fulfillment of that promise. Honestly, big hate for that part.
My guess is that Abraham also had a love/hate relationship with his own story because every part of his story that pointed to God’s ability highlighted his own inability. And yet, he was obedient and never stopped believing in God’s faithfulness. That’s why he is regarded as the father of faith by believers today.
[Tweet “Faith can admit the reality of the situation while simultaneously acknowledging the reality of God’s promise.”]I love the way Paul describes Abraham in four verses found in Romans 4. They are a beautiful reminder that being a giant in the faith isn’t about us having heaps of confidence in our power and strength, but in God’s. Abraham shows us the way to admit the reality of the situation while simultaneously acknowledging the reality of God’s promise. Let these words sink deep into your soul.
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. (Romans 4:18-21 NIV, emphasis mine)
Be encouraged today, friend. God is able to do what He promised to do, and that’s why we can, like Abraham, believe in hope against all hope.
In a nation in society where life comes easy for so many people, it’s difficult to stop and think about faith. We are so blessed to get up in the morning, have lights to turn on in a house that covers our head and protects us from the elements. We have food readily available without having to worry about where it’s coming from. Don’t get me wrong, I realize that there are people that are not that well off and do you have circumstances that put them in bad positions, but we don’t face obstacles anywhere near like spoken of in the Bible. It’s easy for me to say that I would have faith in God when faced with harsh circumstances and I honestly believe that I would. This, to me, is we’re iron sharpening iron comes into play. We have to lean on one another and share situations in order to see what faith can do for each other so that when we are not Surrounded by adversities, we can have hope. We can see from others experiences that faith is followed by actions and results. Regardless of how long it may take, He is always faithful to us.