The Faith of Abraham
by Pastor Bob
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him…” Romans 4:18
This is an incredibly inspiring and yet challenging verse! Abraham’s example of faith is so amazing! The phrase “against all hope, Abraham in hope believed,” speaks of the kind of faith that defies hopelessness. Abraham was keenly aware of his doubtful situation. In fact, the next verse confirms this: “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 Sarah’s womb was also dead” (Rom.4:19). Abraham was not in denial. He was obviously facing the facts of his situation, yet the Bible says he did this “without weakening in his faith”. No wonder God honored him the way He did!
How many of us in Abraham’s situation would have held on to the promise of God? Some people think that you have to be in a state of denial in order to receive a miraculous answer in hopeless situations, but I don’t think that’s true. Real faith says something like this, “I know my situation looks hopeless, but I also know that I belong to a God who is faithful and has a history of ‘moving mountains’ for His children, and I’m keeping my eyes on Him!” You don’t have to know HOW God’s going to keep His promise to you; all you have to know is that He will do it!
Romans 4:20 goes on to say, “Yet (Abraham) 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.” From this verse, one thing looks to be certain: a lack of faith will make us waver. It will cause us to doubt God’s ability and willingness to do the impossible for us. It’s God’s desire that we be “fully persuaded” that He is able to work wonders in our lives, even when our circumstances are telling us different. Notice that this verse says that Abraham “gave glory to God” while he was waiting for God to fulfill His promise to him. Abraham didn’t wait until he could “see” what God had promised to give thanks and praise to the Lord; that doesn’t take much faith. But, he began thanking God in advance, strengthening his own faith in the process.
What are you going through right now? Are you facing what seems like a hopeless situation? I pray that Jesus will help you to keep your eyes on Him and not on your circumstances; that you would have the ability to give praise and thanks to the Lord right now even as you are trusting Him for the answer. Have the faith of Abraham!
Bob Stiles is the Associate Pastor at the Vineyard, handling all the hospital and personal care issues of the church along with leading worship during our Sunday services. He and his family have been a part of our fellowship since 2005. Bob and his wife, Leann, lead the Alkire Lakes Home Group meeting on the first and third Wednesday of each month.
