As children we learned many Bible promises that said if we had faith, God would grant our requests, right? We learned that mountains would move, if we had enough faith, right? How many times have we had that faith and the mountain did not move?
What do we do when it seems as though God is not doing what he said He would do? Do we excuse Him by faulting our faith? How many times have you told yourself, “Well, I must not have had enough faith, I must have not really believed it would move, or God would have done what I asked, since He did promise.” Or maybe we rationalized, “Since God did not move that mountain, He must be planning something really special for it in the future!”
What do you think the problem is when we do not see God doing what He promised? Is it His promise? Maybe it is my faith? Possibly, it’s our sin? These are good questions, and I am sure that Abraham must have had the same questions in his mind as he waited for the fulfillment of promises God had made to him. Today, we are going to learn from Abraham how he handled the waiting.
According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, a promise is defined as: “a: a declaration that one will do or refrain from doing something specified b : a legally binding declaration that gives the person to whom it is made a right to expect or to claim the performance or forbearance of a specified act.”
When a person makes a promise, what factors cause us to believe that the promise will be fulfilled? What is the determining factor, or factors that cause us to believe? We can safely assume that characteristics such as integrity, honesty, past history and trust play a big part in our confidence in the maker of the promise, would we all agree with that?
If a person has proven themselves as keepers of their word in the past, we find it much simpler to have confidence in their word, or promises, right? Think about times in your lives that someone made a promise to do something for you, or not to do something. The first time they made this promise is a testing ground. If we do not know them, or their “track-record” with keeping their word, we have a small ounce of doubt, or hesitance about the promise. If they are people that have made numerous promises and not kept them, well, we have a much more difficult time trusting their word. That is the reason we have contracts, collateral, and credit scores.
But if a person has proven there word is their bond, we tend to let up our guard. They have already proven their integrity! We can stand sure that they will come through. Sometimes, I wish we were born with that assurance. But in this world, there are many that deceive, and mislead. Integrity is hard to find in the world. True Godly integrity that is.
Integrity is defined as: “1 : firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : INCORRUPTIBILITY 2 : an unimpaired condition : SOUNDNESS
3 : the quality or state of being complete or undivided : COMPLETENESS
synonym see HONESTY. Did you catch that? Synonymous with HONESTY. I like the definition: “Honesty, without compromise or corruption.”
Let’s turn our verse 1 in Genesis 12. It says, “NOW THE Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” God told Abram to get up, leave your home, the security of your father’s house, your friends and go to somewhere that I will show you. It does not say this is where, or that is where. He is telling Abram he will have to have faith in Him to lead him to the right place.
In verse 2, we read, “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” God is promising Abram 2 blessings here. He promised to make a great nation of Abram’s family, and to make his name great!
We sit around and study Abraham today, and think of his great faith, and how he was called God’s friend, but what do you think was his thought when God gave him this directive? Get up, leave the security that you have been accustomed to, leave the land that you live in, and go where I will lead you. Do you think that Abram questioned God’s integrity here? Did he ask how God was going to fulfill His promises? How was God going to “make a nation” of Abram’s Descendants? Back in Genesis 11:30, we read, “Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.” Sarai was his wife, and she was barren, incapable of producing offspring! Yet God promised a great nation of his descendants? Do you think Abram sat back and said, “It cannot happen!” Obviously, he did not! You see, Abram walked by faith, not by sight.
Genesis 13:14-17 says, “After Lot was gone, the Lord said to Abram, ``Look as far as you can see in every direction, for I am going to give it all to you and your descendants. And I am going to give you so many descendants that, like dust, they can’t be counted! Hike in all directions and explore the new possessions I am giving you.’’
15:1-6 says, “Afterwards Jehovah spoke to Abram in a vision, and this is what he told him: ``Don’t be fearful, Abram, for I will defend you. And I will give you great blessings.’’ But Abram replied, ``O Lord Jehovah, what good are all your blessings when I have no son? For without a son, some other member of my household will inherit all my wealth.’’ Then Jehovah told him, ``No, no one else will be your heir, for you will have a son to inherit everything you own.’’ Then God brought Abram outside beneath the nighttime sky and told him,” Look up into the heavens and count the stars if you can. Your descendants will be like that--too many to count!’’ And Abram believed God; then God considered him righteous on account of his faith.
17:3-8, 15-6 reads, “And Abram fell on his face. And God talked with him, saying; As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be the father of a multitude of nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but they name shall be Abraham. For the father of a multitude of nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee, throughout their generations for an everlasting convenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. And I will be their God. And God said unto Abraham, as for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and moreover I will give thee a son of her. Yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations. Kings of peoples shall be of her.”
22:15-18 says, “And the angel of Jehovah called unto Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said, By myself have I sworn, saith Jehovah, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore. And thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. Because thou hast obeyed my voice.”
In these scriptures, we hear God promising these blessings 4 more times. Each time he is reassuring Abraham more and more. When you read the surrounding scriptures, you see why. Because even though Abraham was walking by faith, he was only human. He had hurts, heartaches and needed strength. Much like when we are walking by faith, we need to draw close to God for strength. When we walk the walk, it sometimes can drain us. That is why we need to be in constant fellowship with our creator. That is why we need to read the scriptures. That is why we need to actively seek His will. We need to pray. We need to be led by the Spirit. His Spirit, not our earthly spirit.
It takes us only minutes to read this story, but how long do you think it took Abraham to live through it all? He was 75 years old when he began this journey, or walk. Genesis 12:4 says he was 75. Genesis 17:1 says he was 99. That is 24 years. A 24-year journey with God. Not his only Journey, but A journey that showed true faith! There were so many times that Abraham could have doubted God. That he could have walked by his sight, not God’s. But being a man of true trust and confidence in God, he made that journey. 24 years from the first to the fifth promise. That is a lot of time, isn’t it? At least it is to me.
We sometimes find it difficult to live from day to day with this kind of faith. Even from hour to hour is difficult. Maybe it is because our faith is like a baby’s. Abraham’s faith was deep. It was both strong and bold. Why do you think that is? Do you think it was because he exercised it? He walked the walk?
Why do you think that God did not give all the details up front? I think it is because it is the journey that strengthens our walk. If we knew in advance the results, would we be showing our faith? Our trust and confidence?
We are here to prove our faith. He is not here to prove His will. Though many times he does indeed show His love for us by strengthening us in our walk. We just have to ask and show Him that we are willing to give it to Him.
Let’s look at what Abraham did in faith. The first thing is in 12:1. He had to get up and go. Leave his will out of it, and leave the security of his father’s house. Leave the land that he was raised in. Leave behind all that he was comfortable with. He had to go where he was being led. Unknown. I imagine some people around him were thinking, “Why in the world would you leave everything that we have worked for?” They probably questioned his sanity?! If God asked you to get up and leave your homes tomorrow morning and go somewhere that he has not yet disclosed to you, would you? If he asked you to give up your job, your house, your friends and some of your family, would you question Him? I probably would. Not because it is right to question God, but because it is something that is not in the “right of mind” according to the world. I would have to step out on faith. Not a blind faith, but the facts of my relationship with Him thus far in my life. The faith that has been rewarded time and time again by His mercy and grace. By the blessings so many times in my life. The evidence in my life that He does in fact have a plan for my life, A plan that involves His will, not mine.
He went wherever God led him. He just picked up and when God told him to, “Hike in all directions and explore the new possessions I am giving you” He said to go out in all directions and explore all that God was giving him. He did not say this is it. He said “go and explore all that I have given you!” He did not say “now you are going to be comfortable”, He said go and explore. Just as God tells us to explore the blessings in our lives. He wants us to enjoy these blessings. For if we do not enjoy them what value are they?
Abraham was told to sacrifice his son. As a parent, I can think of no sacrifice that would tax me more. Not only to give his son up, but to be the one to do the sacrifice? God was testing Abraham’s faith here. That was a very difficult test. God was seeing if Abraham’s love for his son was stronger than his faith in God. Isaac was a promise fulfilled by God. He was a gift from God. A son was the most precious thing that a man could have. A son to pass the family name down to. To ensure that the name continued on. Would Abraham have the strength to offer his son to God, because God told him to? Did he question God? No. He just kept the faith, regardless of personal cost.
When God asks something of us, something that would cost us more than a little, do we question God? Do we count the cost to walk by Faith? If he were to ask you to give up something major in your life, would you just do what he asks? If he were to ask you to step out in faith and trust that His will is going to be done, would you stop short of showing your faith. Maybe our faith is not as strong as we would like. Maybe our faith is not as strong as He would like?
Do we sometimes try to push our will over His will? Sometimes I know that is the case in my life. I become overly ambitious to accomplish things for my gain. Nice car. Nice home. Good savings account, etc… I think you all know where I am going with this. Don’t take me wrong. God wants us to be blessed with things here, but not at the cost of us mixing our priorities with His will. He is the priority. His will has to take precedence in our lives. Sometimes we have to be sacrificial of things in our lives. We have to believe in him to provide. To trust in His power and glory. To have confidence that He will not desert us. He has given us promise after promise. He has never once had a promise return void. Maybe not what we want, but what He wants for us.
Hebrews 11:17-19 Says, “While God was testing him, Abraham still trusted in God and his promises, and so he offered up his son Isaac, and was ready to slay him on the altar of sacrifice; yes, to slay even Isaac, through whom God had promised to give Abraham a whole nation of descendants! He believed that if Isaac died God would bring him back to life again; and that is just about what happened, for as far as Abraham was concerned, Isaac was doomed to death, but he came back again alive!”
Abraham had so much faith in God, that through all God’s requests, he knew that God has always fulfilled the promises in his own life. Why would God have Abraham sacrifice Isaac, who was a promise that had been answered? Abraham had faith in God that if Isaac did die, God would bring him back to life! It was not the ‘here and now’ that he was looking at. He knew that God’s will would be completed. That God had a plan, just as he does today, for Abraham and Isaac. We may not know God’s plan from start to finish, but we know that he has promised us that we will be blessed if we just trust Him, and obey Him.
Abraham saw a lot of the promises completed in his life, but there many that he did not. Do you think that he saw the multitude of descendants God promised? No. Yet he did have faith that they were being kept. They would be kept, God promised. Not a doubt in his mind, or heart. You see he was a man of faith. Just as Enoch, Abel, and Noah.
How could these great men live by faith when they did not get to see the promises all fulfilled in their lives? How could they continue to walk the walk without seeing the end result?
I want you all to reflect on Abraham’s life. And I want you to discover what encourages your faith most. I trust that you will find that the source of your faith is not born of this world, but of God. He plants a seed in us when we accept Jesus Christ as our savior. He does not grow it, but wants us to grow that faith. We are to use our faith in our lives. We are to grow it by studying the word, by praying for strength. By using it. If we do not use our faith, it does not grow. It is worthless. Remember, faith is not just a cliché, it is a real fact in our lives. It is what shows God how much we trust in Him. You can never please God without faith, without depending on him. It is our way of showing our love for God.
Is there an area in your life that God has made a promise and it remains unfulfilled? Take the time tonight to write it down. Allow God to comfort you when there is still no sign of an answer to that promise that you want to see fulfilled. Open your hearts and be honest with Him. Ask Him for strength and wisdom to continue living by faith in this and well as other areas in your lives.
