Against Hope

    It was written of Abraham that "Against hope (Abraham) believed in hope" Roman 4:18. Have you ever felt this way? Maybe there is a hope or a dream that the Lord has given you that seems impossible of ever coming true; in fact, it feels "against hope." This scripture is comforting because it teaches us that in the deepest despair of all impossibilities, there is still hope.

    Abraham, you see, wanted a son. God had given him a promise that he would have a son and that his descendants would be like the stars in the sky in number. But time went on and on and Abraham and his wife Sarah became very old. Abraham was near 100 years old and Sarah was about 90, and there was still no sign of God's fufilled promise. Yet God had been working in Abraham during all the long years he waited, and He was teaching him to trust and rely on Him.

    When Jesus was asked "What must we do to do the work that God requires?" He gave this reply: "The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent." John 6:28-29NIV The word believe in this verse is translated in the original Greek to mean: to trust, to rely upon, to cleave to. It is the idea of putting faith in another outside of ourselves. It means trusting another's strength and ability and not our own. Jesus is talking about having a simple child-like trust in Him. It is this same trust that Jesus calls us to when He says "Come unto me all ye who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 True trust always results in rest, for the burden is no longer on you, but on God.

    Do you have the weight of an impossible situation in your life? Do you have a vision that is all but snuffed out? Let go of the impossibilities of your own eyes and receive the grace to trust God for His possibilities. He truly is able to bring it to pass, for as He said to Abraham, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" Genisis 18:14

    God did indeed fulfill His promise, and in Abraham's old age gave him a son named Isaac. Through Isaac, the entire Israelite nation came into being. God had begun to fulfill the word He spoke when He said to Abraham: "Look up at the heavens and count the stars - if indeed you can count them...so shall your offspring be." Genisis15:5NIV Isaac, by the way, means laughter. God told Abraham to name his son laughter because the promise seemed so impossible that it literally made Abraham laugh.

    Do you have a promise that makes you laugh? Remember "With God, all things are possible." Mark 10:27

      Until next time,

       In Christ Jesus,

                   Richard