"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. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Romans 4:18-22
Romans 4:18-22
There is so much meat in that passage and so many things that catch my eye and convict my spirit. But the things that really stand out to me are the words HOPE and FULLY PERSUADED. Abraham had many reasons to doubt the promise that God had made him. Logically, such a miraculous thing did not make sense. He was old, his wife was barren and time was running out. Still, against all hope Abraham believed in hope and the promise was fulfilled. Abraham chose to believe not what seemed logical and what his situation reflected as "real". Instead, he chose to put his hope in the one who made the promise knowing that He would make a way through the logical. Abraham put his faith in the facts of what he knew about God and His history of keeping promises. And it says he DID NOT WAIVER THROUGH UNBELIEF.
These words floor me. Because so often I myself have the opposite problem. I hear God, I trust God and then something goes slightly wrong and I begin to doubt my motives and God's plan and I am filled with absolute unbelief. This week I have been filled with this overwhelming fact that I am trying to control my future and perfect my present. And this is a truth that makes me very sad. The reason being is that I do not trust myself to be of pure motive and blind faith. I fail, time and time again. I fall in to the same traps and go for the same ridiculous bait. I am one person, who is completely weak when it comes to the flesh and the mind and the things of the heart. I believe the lies far too easily, because I do not trust that God will do what He has promised. I panic and I turn and run and drive myself crazy with doubt, worry and fear. It is crippling for my faith.
I think Abraham had it right. He was strengthened by his faith. And this was because his faith was never in his self or his abilities. Those things were out of the question. They were outside the realm of possiblity. He knew it was either going to be a God thing or it was not going to happen. So he decided to trust that God knew best and he believed, without hesitation, that God's power to provide was greater than logic. He trusted that the impossible was made possible through the promise of the One who controls all things. This God still exists, and He still defies logic. Everyday. And His promises apply to me. This day. I am weak and full of unbelief. But my prayer is that I would be broken of the chains that hold me to myself and my will and find freedom in the promises of Christ. There is sweet victory over sin and death that are mine to grab and cling to. The work has already been done for those who believe. If that is you, if you are a believer in Christ, then the promises of God are yours as well. Claim them. Trust them. Hide them in your heart. And pray for the strength to believe them, when all hope fails. This is where I am at. Hoping, against all hope, that Christ will free me of myself and bind my wandering heart to Him.
I think Abraham had it right. He was strengthened by his faith. And this was because his faith was never in his self or his abilities. Those things were out of the question. They were outside the realm of possiblity. He knew it was either going to be a God thing or it was not going to happen. So he decided to trust that God knew best and he believed, without hesitation, that God's power to provide was greater than logic. He trusted that the impossible was made possible through the promise of the One who controls all things. This God still exists, and He still defies logic. Everyday. And His promises apply to me. This day. I am weak and full of unbelief. But my prayer is that I would be broken of the chains that hold me to myself and my will and find freedom in the promises of Christ. There is sweet victory over sin and death that are mine to grab and cling to. The work has already been done for those who believe. If that is you, if you are a believer in Christ, then the promises of God are yours as well. Claim them. Trust them. Hide them in your heart. And pray for the strength to believe them, when all hope fails. This is where I am at. Hoping, against all hope, that Christ will free me of myself and bind my wandering heart to Him.
