Read: Romans 4:3; Genesis 15:6

Reflect: The apostle Paul, one of the greats of the New Testament, wrote about Abraham’s faith in Romans 4:3 but what example of faith was Paul referring to that was so great it needed to be mentioned again to the church in Rome?

The answer: Genesis 15:4-6. The Lord gave Abraham a promise that He was going to make a great nation out of his descendents but Abraham was nearing 100 years old and didn’t have any children. It doesn’t seem possible to be the Father of many nations and generations of descendents without even one child, right? Despite that, Abraham had extraordinary, unwavering faith that God would bring about His promise. So much so that in Genesis 15:6, it says his belief in the Lord was counted as righteousness, meaning His faith made him in right standing with the Lord. Now that’s a lot of faith!

Now let’s go back to Romans to see what else Paul said about Abraham’s faith. Read Romans 4:18-21. He said Abraham “who against hope, believed in hope,” meaning that the situation was hopeless for Abraham, but he never lost sight of the hope He had from God, “he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief,” meaning that again, the situation did not look good, remember Abraham was 100 years old and did not have a child, but he was unwavering in his faith that God would keep His promise, even when there were reasons not to believe. “And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform” meaning Abraham had fully surrendered to the promise God had made him and believed in the power that God possessed to fulfill His promise. Paul noted that Abraham was unshaken by the odds that were stacked up against him; he was strong in faith.

And in Genesis 21, we can read that the Lord kept His promise and gave Abraham and Sarah a son named Isaac. This example shows us that nothing is too hard for God as long as we remain faithful to Him, He will be faithful to us.

Respond: We can learn a few lessons from Abraham’s life. God has promised to work all things for good in the lives of Christians (Romans 8:38), but we must remain faithful just as Abraham: unwavering, holding onto hope even when the situation looks hopeless.

Maybe you’re facing a situation that seems hopeless. You know God has promised good, but it doesn’t look good right now. Remember, just like Abraham, our faith must remain unshaken. And have hope because God never breaks a promise. Ask Him to strengthen your faith as you wait for your promise to come.