Faith Brings Rest

“He [Abraham] 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. 20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.” ESV Romans 4:19-21

Have you ever felt totally and completely overwhelmed by your circumstances? Have you ever wondered if even God could make things work out? Have you ever had your faith tested or shaken? All these questions are related to our text today.

God promised Abraham a family. More precisely, God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. This promise came as Abraham and Sarah were entering their golden age (childless) with presumably tired bodies and well beyond child bearing age. But even folks only loosely familiar with the story know that Abraham did indeed father children and that he was a man of faith.

The writer of Hebrews gives us a great definition of faith: “…the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb11:1) Our text today beautifully illustrates faith in the life of a believer. Let’s look briefly at three ways that Abraham lived out his faith.

First, note how Abraham reacted when he observed his current circumstances. He was about a hundred years old, and even in their younger days, Sarah had not conceived a child. Neither of these observations regarding his present circumstances would have been encouraging to Abraham. On the contrary, in human terms the desired outcome (children) would have seemed overwhelmingly hopeless. Yet we are told that neither of these current realities weakened his faith. His faith in God was unwavering even in the face of a seemingly insurmountable current reality.

Secondly, note that Abraham had steadfast trust in God. Rather than ‘throw in the towel,’ Abraham’s faith and trust in God grew stronger as he gave glory to God. Please don’t miss this: Abraham gave glory to God before God delivered on his promise. My friend that is how you live in faith!

Finally, notice that Abraham was content to leave the miraculous details to God. After careful observation of his current circumstances, Abraham knew that it was humanly impossible for he and Sarah to have children. But Abraham also knew that with God, all things are possible. Convinced that he was worshiping the one true and all powerful God, Abraham was fully convinced that God would follow through on His promise. It is difficult for me to find the proper words, but it seems that because of his faith, Abraham was able to rest in God.

In the face of overwhelming and seemingly insurmountable evidence to the contrary, Abraham’s faith was unwavering, his trust in God was steadfast and he was fully convinced that God would deliver on His promise. And Abraham glorified God even in his present circumstances.

God still delivers on His promises. He is still all powerful and all knowing. May God grant you faith like Abraham so that you too may find rest in Him.