Day Four: Abraham – Believing God
Today’s Reading: Hebrews 11:8-10, 17-19; Genesis 12:1-5; 22:1-19
Introduction: Abraham’s life is Exhibit A for the life of faith. Twice in the book of Genesis, God told Abraham to do something without telling him how things were going to work out. First, he told Abraham to strike out from his home country with his family to a new home. He didn’t even tell Abraham where he was going to end up. He only told Abraham to go “to the land which I will show you” (Genesis 12: 1). Later, he told Abraham to take his only son Isaac and offer him up as a sacrifice (Genesis 22:1-19). Again, Abraham didn’t know what the outcome would be. Both times, though, Abraham obeyed God without questions. On another occasion, the Lord promised Abraham that he would make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the heavens. Abraham didn’t even have any children at that time and he was at least seventy-five years old. Despite the lack of evidence for how God could do such a thing, the Bible says Abraham “believed in the Lord.” The Bible says the Lord responded to this absolute faith and “reckoned it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6).
Application: Later, Abraham would try to help God fulfill the promise that he would have an heir (Genesis 16:1-16), which resulted in conflict the world still feels, but Abraham never doubted God’s promise. Abraham was such a man of faith, that two thousand years later, the apostle Paul wrote that faith like Abraham exercised is the means to salvation itself (Romans 4:1-8). When God makes a promise, we can consider it done. The only thing remaining is how and when God will fulfill His promise. We need to be people of faith like Abraham, believing God, taking Him at His word, and living our lives as though God’s promises are guarantees, because they are.
Prayer: Dear Lord, I struggle sometimes trusting You and Your promises. The world and my own fallen spirit tell me that’s not how things work in the real world. I confess my lack of faith and pray along with an unnamed man in the book of Mark, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” Your promises are dependable. Help me today to begin to live like I believe each and every one of them. Amen.