Rom 4:18-21 “Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”
Abraham’s faith was wonderful when we stop to consider his circumstances. God had promised him that he would become the head (father) of man nations. If God said the same to us today it would be an extraordinary thing in our minds. Yet, at 75 years old, God told Abraham (who was then called Abram) to leave his country and his father’s house, go into a strange land, and there God would make of him a great nation.
Abraham did not falter, but went according to God’s command. Even at 75 years old, Abraham was able to turn his back on all that he had ever known and trust in the living God. Considering that Abraham’s father lived for 205 years, perhaps 75 did not seem like so great an age to Abraham at that time. However, when we consider that until this time there was no indication that Abraham had any previous interaction with the great I AM, this clearly demonstrates the power and ability of God to direct the lives of His people at any age.
Now, move forward in Abraham’s life 24 years, and we will find that Sarah has still not born Abraham a son. He has a child by Sarah’s handmaid, but he has clearly been told that the inheritance of his house will not be reckoned by the bondwoman’s son. God assured him that Sarah would bare him a son. God also assured him that in his seed all nations of the earth would be blessed.
Faced with a hopeless situation (by man’s thinking), Abraham still had hope in God. Abraham was old and so was Sarah. To further complicate things, Sarah was barren and had never even been pregnant. Yet Abraham never stopped to consider those things. He did not look at all that was against him and trusted in God who had assured him time and again that He was for him.
What a testimony of faith that it can be said of Abraham that he did not stagger at the promise of God! Abraham had learned that God was faithful in all His dealings. Surely God has been gracious to us today that we should have learned by now that God is still faithful in all His dealings. Abraham was strong in faith, and we should be strong in faith today no matter how hopeless things might appear.
The strength of Abraham’s faith was not that Abraham had faith. The strength of Abraham’s faith was in the fact that he gave the glory to God. He understood where his faith came from and who deserved the praise for it. If we have a strong faith today, it is because we understand that God still deserves the glory for it.
Although we may fail many times in our lives, we should also press toward an unwavering faith. There will be times that we may have to confess and pray as one did to Jesus: “Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief.” With His help, we can be fully persuaded that God is able to perform everything that He has promised. No matter how impossible things may appear, God is still able.
May we be blessed to always have faith in the God who does the impossible with ease!
