Hoping Against Hope!

Trusting and believing God fully was something that Paul knew that Abraham had done. He was familiar with what the scriptures had said, and he was a descendant of that promise, as one who had partaken of the faith of Abraham. 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." But the words "it was counted to him" were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Romans 4:17-25

The promise that God spoke to Abraham was not, I will make you the father of many nations, but rather, I have made you the father of many nations. Abraham could have looked at his old and broken down body, and at the barren womb of Sarah, and chosen to believe what he saw with his eyes and his past experience. But in hope against hope, believing that God could do what he said he could do, he did not distrust God, and waver in his belief of the promise God had made. No on the contrary he grew strong in his faith! He was fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. And therefore his faith was counted as righteousness.

Praise be to the Father in heaven that the story does not end there though. For the words were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted as righteousness for us who believe in him who raised our Lord from the dead, and justifies us by faith.

Abraham had a choice, he could believe God, and in hope (which is faith with expectation), could live out his promise with God. Or he could make God out to be a liar and lay down and die, never receiving righteousness. My brethren the choice today is the same for us. You may look at your circumstances around you, your tough job, your marriage, your kids, or whatever and believe that God is God and is working out his plan for you. Or you can take the other option, and just lay down and die. I say to you though that those of us who have believed God, we must believe Him the same way Abraham did. We must hope against hope, having faith with expectation of receiving, that God is working out his plan for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

You see, we can let our life circumstances, our trials and tribulations, our persecutions and sufferings, be the things that destroy our faith. Or we can do as the father of the faithful, Abraham, did and cast ourselves on God and Christ headlong trusting in him who rewards those who earnestly seek him. You see faith that saves, and faith that keeps, is faith that believes God no matter what. Even as James says, for if we doubt we should expect to receive nothing, because we are tossed about as like a ship on every single wave of trouble. So like Abraham I need to believe God, even when it doesn’t make sense to me, I need to believe God, because he is worthy to be believed.

God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
I come to you with troubled heart, weary from my burdens. Like Abraham I am "old and broken" and feel as though my life were barren like the womb of Sarah. The scorching heat of trials are burning all around me, but I will not lay down and die, rather I will die to myself and my desires and cast myself headlong into you believing that you can do exactly as you said you can do. Draw me ever closer and nearer to thee, may I walk with you as one through your life giving Spirit. In Jesus' matchless name - Amen.