As it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”–in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”
He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb.
No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,
fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:17-22, ESV)

Look at this testimony about Abraham. It says he didn’t waver in his faith. But is that true? I want to show you something interesting. Recall with me if you will that in Genesis 15, he and his wife Sarah were promised the child Isaac, but it was not for roughly 25 years before the child of promise was born. In the next chapter, Sarah gave her maid Hagar to Abraham to bear a child with her, after growing weary of waiting for the promise to come about, and how often are we like them, and we think God needs our help to bring about His promises? How many Ishmaels do we have in our lives because we resorted to “plan B” while waiting on God to fulfill his Word?

Abraham wavered not? Did not weaken in faith? No distrust made him waver? Did the apostle Paul actually read the story of Genesis? Oh, he did alright, and he caught on to something I didn’t necessarily notice until recently. God didn’t look completely at the 25 year span of time it took since the promise was given and the boy Isaac was actually born and find in Abraham a man of doubt. He saw a man of faith ultimately in the whole of the picture. Clearly, we can learn from the life of Abraham two things (at least two from this passage, I’m sure there’s way more things to learn if we went into more thorough study of Genesis). Also, praise God that He looks at the cry of our heart instead of just the last mistake we made or doubt we acted on.

The first one is evident, the second observation of mine is a little more speculative, but not completely unfounded.

First, Abraham clearly didn’t begin with “great” faith to see the promise come about. His faith grew or his heart was changed over time. This is stated in verse 20.

Second, could it be said that we ourselves are in charge of how long it takes for us to believe the promises of God? Can our faith or lack of it accelerate or slow down the process of receiving the promises we’ve been given? I believe so.

Romans 4:20 states that Abraham “grew strong in his faith.” If you can grow strong in your faith, then evidently you can stay weak and not grow at all in faith. I’ve taught that faith is like a seed and we are in charge of watering it ourselves. I believe God gives each of us a seed (so to speak) of faith to each one of us, and some people have greater faith not because God gave them “greater faith” but because they’ve taken more time to grow their seed. Others, keep their seed small, thinking “God will only do what God wills” and take no initiative of their own to believe for greater things. It makes people angry to be told it, but if all it took to move the mountains was faith that stayed the size of a mustard seed, then we’d have all the mountains moved already.

Keep in mind the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-9) for a quick sidenote/reference, and how in each instance the seed actually is planted and goes into the soil, but for various reasons like shallow soil, or weeds choking it out, the result is unfruitful, but the one that goes in properly is up to a hundred times more fruitful than its initial form. Do you notice something implicit in the passage? Let me ask you this way: what is easier for the devil to steal–a seed or a tree? That is why we must water our seeds so they grow and become established, making sure also what kind of soil we’re planting in. The conditions of our hearts and minds are important.

Could it be possible, that Abraham is a man whom it took twenty-five years to reach the place where his faith was strong enough to finally receive the promised son? I know some reading this will totally object, because some believe everything is based on the sovereignty of God, canceling out our actions and decisions. But God’s sovereignty is just one side of double-sided coin, and it seems way too many believers only accept one of either sides of it. But that’s for another entry.

For a real cool example I’ve heard and I liked , there’s a difference between how far a car will go if the gas tank is full or if it’s empty. So it is with our faith—are we full or running on empty?

Faith is not believing that if you sit in a chair it will hold your weight (maybe some reading this need HOPE that chairs will hold your weight!)–Faith is not mental, it’s in fact the action of going ahead and sitting in that chair knowing you can.

Let’s also look specifically at the things highlighted in our selected passage:

Do we believe God (v. 17)? I don’t mean mental ascent to what the Bible says. Believing the Bible is like the ‘entry level’ faith. Do we LIVE beyond the mental agreement like it is real?  Is it normal to our lifestyle and beliefs that He gives life to that which is dead, spiritual and physical (v.17)? Do we KNOW and not just think that through him, that which does not exist can be brought to existence?

This statement is one that rocks me when comparing it to my life: Belief against hope (v.18). What does this mean and look like exactly? Remember, Sarah wasn’t the only one that was barren—they were both old, and in Genesis 18 when the three angels/men come to tell Abraham they’d bear a son a year from then, Sarah laughed to herself, saying “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” (v.12) We’re all mature who are reading this right? So Abraham’s body was just as unable to take part in creating a child as Sarah’s at their age, but yet he believed against the circumstances, he believed what God said, not what his body demonstrated to be true. So technically two bodies were touched by the power of God to make this miracle happen.

With that said, faith changes circumstances.

Do you weaken in faith (v.19)? Or do circumstances make you change your mind? Do you look at your body and say “sorry God, it just won’t happen.” Or do you look at your body and say “sorry body, but God said________ will happen” and have expectation that things will change?

Some of these truths are life-changing and I know there are pessimistic Christians content to stay in the ruts they are in, but if you really want to rise above circumstances, meditate on this passage and ones like it and really absorb the principles in it, and get to a point where your life resembles who this passage says Abraham was.

That is all for this time.

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