19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
Romans 4:19-21
I love this passage of Scripture. It strengthens my faith each and every time I read it. What a beautiful picture of faith these verses paint!
Abraham had received a seemingly crazy promise from God. God promises this 100 year old man that he will be the father of many nations. He even changes his name from “Exalted Father” to “Father of many nations.” Abraham then is faced with the decision that each of us faces: Do I trust God? We must decide the answer to that question every time a struggle comes in our life. Do I trust God? I mean REALLY trust God. You may not know why you must go through the valley you are in, but do you trust Him?
Let’s look at a couple points from this Scripture. First, Abraham didn’t consider the circumstances. If we keep our eyes on our circumstances, we lose focus on God. Whatever we focus on gets larger. If we focus on our problems or circumstances, they get bigger and God seems smaller. However, Abraham focused on God. When we look at the ability and power of our God, problems fade away. They look small compared to the greatness of God. For example, when Peter went out on the water to Jesus, he was able to walk on water when he focused on Christ. However, when he quit looking at Christ and focused on the wind and the waves, he began to sink. It works the same for us. If we focus on God, we can accomplish anything He wants us to do; but if we look at our circumstances, we are destined to fail.
Secondly, Abraham was fully persuaded that what God had promised, He was able to perform. In order to fully trust God, we must become fully persuaded that He is able to perform anything He has promised. If the Bible promises it, God IS able. We must become radically convinced of this fact. God is able. He is able to save us, He is able to heal us, He is able to promote us, He is able to do anything He has promised. Become fully persuaded of this fact. The Bible is the infallible, inerrant, Holy Spirit inspired Word of God. We, as Christians, need to learn what God has promised in the Bible and stand on the promises of God. Abraham was fully persuaded and didn’t stagger in unbelief at the promise of God although it was seemingly impossible. We, too, can have that same kind of faith. All we must do is trust in God and become fully persuaded of His power to keep His Word.
No matter what problems or circumstances you are facing, become fully persuaded and have faith in God. He will never fail to keep His Word. If He has made a promise to you, stagger not in unbelief, but have faith and be convinced that He will bring it to pass. We may not know the timing or the method, but we do know that He is faithful.
I read a quote by Albert Einstein’s wife that is very applicable to this devotion. She was asked about Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and replied, “No, I don’t understand my husband’s theory of relativity, but I know my husband and I know he can be trusted.” We should feel the same way about God. We may not understand everything going on around us, be we do know God and we know He can be trusted.
Nothing will draw you closer to God than focusing on Him, remaining strong in your faith and refusing to question all of your circumstances. Satan attempts to draw our focus away from God by bringing trials into our lives. I have found that it is in those times of trials, my faith is strengthened and my trust in God is confirmed as He brings me through a valley and takes me to a higher place than I have ever been before.
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