Romans 4:18 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.”

Sometimes the modern, “scientific” mind gets in the way of our receiving what God has for us. It’s not that God doesn’t want us to use our minds, it’s that He wants us to trust Him more than we trust our senses. As an aside, it is very interesting that where the NIV says “many nations,” the Japanese says, “people of all nations.” Whereas I think verse 20 in this passage borders on hyperbole in saying that Abraham “did not waver through unbelief,” it is true that each time he struggled with the gap between his circumstances and what He knew God had said, he went back to God. That is where we often trip up. We try to validate what God says through our circumstances, rather than the other way around. We tend to use our circumstances as the filter through which we read the Bible, rather than viewing our circumstances through the filter of the Word. That gets us into all sorts of problems! We do not achieve the faith of Abraham until we have God and what He says as our first priority in what we think, say, and do.

I have never defined the faith of Abraham this way before, and it is very powerful, and challenging. I’m certainly not all the way there yet! However, since Paul was so clear that he hadn’t “arrived” either, I should be comforted. (Philippians 3:12-14) Rather than being discouraged at my own lack of faith, I should rejoice that this is the kind of faith that God has prepared for me, and open my heart to receive it as a gift. (Ephesians 2:8-10) The important thing for me is to exercise the faith that I already have, because that is how faith grows. Likewise, that is how I should be encouraging everyone with whom I work. Beating ourselves up over our own lack of faith is hardly productive! Rather, I need to rejoice at whatever level of faith is already present, and trust that God will pour out more as we live out what we have.

Father, thank You for this, on all levels. Thank You for growing my understanding, as well as my articulation of the truth You reveal to me. Help me indeed live out the faith You have given me and encourage others to live out the faith You have given them, rather than scolding them for not having my faith, and vice versa. May we all progress from knowledge to faith to full trust, so that all of Your plans for us may be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!