“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” (Heb 12:1).
A walk with God begins from a position of rest in His faithfulness. Until you are convinced that God’s word is true and absolutely reliable, irrespective of whatever contradicts it, you will never successfully walk with God. What we call faith is simply a demonstration of this conviction. This is because faith is simply to take God at His word, regardless of opposing circumstances. All those whom the Bible commends as being witnesses to the life of faith (Heb 12:2 NLT) demonstrated this principle. Hence, this heartfelt conviction of God’s perfect reliability is indispensable. Nothing can compensate for the lack thereof.
Abraham was one of those who, during their lifetime, demonstrated great faith in God. The Bible has this to say of him: “who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.” Abraham’s life serves as a good example of how faith works.
The Bible tells us that Abraham “…became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken…” (Rom 4:18). God wanted Abraham to become the father of many nations. It was God’s desire, and therefore, His idea. Abraham had no part in the conception of the plan, just as Adam played no role in formulating the plan for him to rule over the earth. We only discover God’s plans for us, we do not make them. Abraham would never have known God’s plans for him on his own. Therefore, God spoke to him about it. God’s plans for you predates your advent on earth, and you know them only when He reveals them to you. God had to communicate His desire to Abraham, for only on the basis of His word would he become the father of many nations. It is God’s word that accomplishes His work: “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isa 55:11). God’s spoken word (rhema) is the only valid basis of faith.
God’s promise to Abraham came in the middle of a condition which the Bible describes as “contrary to hope” or ” Against all hope” as the NIV puts it. This implies that the promise that Abraham would become the father of many nations was contrary to natural experience and expectations. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was not only barren but also post menopausal. Remember, all that was long before the advent of modern medicine and its advancement in fertility issues. In fact the situation was so “contrary to hope” that Sarah herself laughed at the impossible prospect of her conceiving and bearing her own child, when God promised to visit her the following year. Probably, she had reasoned that If her barrenness could prevent her from bearing children in her much younger days, how could she now have children when she was well past the age of child bearing.
We know that God fulfilled the promise He had made Abraham because the Bible says he “…became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken…” (Rom 4:18). God’s promises never need the favourable disposition of natural circumstances to come true: “The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, “Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, And as I have purposed, so it shall stand: For the Lord of hosts has purposed, And who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, And who will turn it back?”” (Isa 14:24,27). Nothing can annul what God has promised you.
Notice, however, that God’s word to Abraham did not happen without his cooperation. The Bible says of him, “who, contrary to hope, in hope believed,…” (Rom 4:18). This implies that Abraham went against his natural understanding and inclination, which is what Proverbs 3:5 instructs us to do when God speaks to us: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;.” Abraham trusted God with all his heart and demonstrated it by refusing to lean on his own understanding. “And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.” (Rom 4:19). What negative report have you been considering, even though you have heard from God? Your mindset is powerful enough to either aid your faith or to undermine it. The good thing is that you can choose your focus. Abraham chose to focus on God’s word rather than on the condition of his own body or the deadness of Sarah’s womb.
It is noteworthy that Abraham did not deny the facts of his adverse circumstances. It was a fact that his body was old and that Sarah’s womb was dead. However, he did not allow those biological facts engage his attention enough to become his permanent reality, because “…He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.” (Rom 4:20-21). Like Abraham, we should not deny scientific facts, for they are real. However, God’s word is a higher reality, and should occupy our thoughts. This is why the Bible says, “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.” (Prov 4:20-22). The word of God is life that overrules and dispels death, wherever it takes root. Shalom.
