Consider the faith of Abraham. In his day, he didn’t have access to Bibles like we do. He didn’t have the benefit of fellowshipping with other believers. He was not even brought up in a family that knew God. But all of us can learn some things about faith from old man Abraham.
In his letter to the church at Rome, Paul the apostle addresses the incredible faith Abraham displayed when God promised to bless him and Sarah with a son. Based on that account, here are three noteworthy points on the faith of Abraham.
Against Hope, Abraham Believed in Hope
“Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations…” (Romans 4:18, KJV). God promised to make Abraham the father of many nations. Against this backdrop, however, every natural circumstance surrounding Abraham’s life suggested that it was hopeless for him and his wife to become biological parents. Still, Abraham chose to believe in the hope that the promise of God offered him. It was Abraham’s only chance, however remote it was.
Paul’s statement regarding Abraham’s hope in the promise of God underscores the power of the Word of God to give us hope amid apparent hopelessness. Nothing is impossible to those whose hope is the Lord. “All things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23, NASB).
Abraham Considered Not His or Sarah’s Old Age
“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 Sarah’s womb” (verse 19). Think about this profound point on the faith of Abraham. His wife Sarah was born barren. When God promised to bless Abraham with a son of his own; he was seventy-five years old, and Sarah was sixty-five. If Sarah could not bear a child at the age of sweet sixteen, how could she have one at sixty-five years old? But Abraham had no regard for the biological impossibility before him.
How often have we allowed our physical circumstances to speak more loudly than the promises of God? Like Abraham, we must know how to look beyond our physical reality and embrace the promises of God.
Abraham Believed God Could Do What He Promised
“Being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform” (verse 21). This point about the faith of Abraham trumps all others. Faith boils down to whether or not we are fully persuaded that God can do what He has promised. When we have such a conviction, we will trust God—even when everything and every other voice around us suggest otherwise. That’s precisely what Abraham did.
It amazes me that Abraham demonstrated such an incredible faith during such an ancient time. After receiving the promise at age 75, he patiently endured for 25 years until Isaac was born! Abraham is a good model for us to imitate in the area of faith. “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God” (verse 20).
Copyright © 2023 by Frank King. All rights reserved.