(Rom 4:17 MSG) We call Abraham “father” not because he got God’s attention by living like a saint, but because God made something out of Abraham when he was a nobody. Isn’t that what we’ve always read in Scripture, God saying to Abraham, “I set you up as father of many peoples”? Abraham was first named “father” and then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing.
This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Faith and Patience VOL III – Never Give Up!” I could not finish this series without teaching about Abraham. This man encountered God when he was 75 years old and his wife was 65. If a society where you were measured by the size of your family, Abraham was clearly lacking, because he and his wife had never had children. His wife was barren, they lived in the midst of idol worshippers, but when God spoke to Abraham he had the audacity to believe in a God he could not see, and he left for a place he did not know. The rest, as they say, is history.
What made Abraham special? What made him the father of many nations? Paul teaches us that Abraham did not get God’s attention by living like a saint. Abraham was not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. As a matter of fact, we all know he made a major mistake, while waiting on a child with his wife Sarah, and he would up producing a child with his servant. So no, Abraham was not sinless or flawless and he did not pray 24 hours a day on a holy mountain. If Abraham had done any of these things we would probably not be able to identify with him. At the end of the day, Abraham was simply a man who was trying to please God. I am sure you can associate with that. We are like he was and we can tap into what he tapped into to live an extraordinary life in God.
Paul says that God made something out of Abraham when he was a “nobody”. Is that what you are secretly hoping for? Don’t you want a closer relationship with God? I hope you do; I know I do. If you are like me, then you simply want more from God and you want to give more to God. That being the case, this text has something for you.
What was the key to Abraham’s success? Our text says that he dared to trust (believe) God to do what only God could do. He believed that God would raise his dead situation (no children) back to life and he believed because of a Word he had received from God! He believed that with one Word God could make something out of nothing. He believed that with one Word God could turn his hopeless situation around. He believed that with one Word God could put a “Yes” where the world put a “no.” He believed that with one Word God could change what “was” into what “could be.” He received a Word from God and he had the audacity to believe it. Even though it did not make sense, even though he was almost 100 years old, even though his wife was 90, and even though she had been barren all her life, Abraham believed God anyway and after 25 years of waiting, they had that baby!
So what does this mean to you today? It means that God can do the same for you. Abraham did not have anything you do not have. He was a common guy, but he learned to believe the uncommon and to have faith in the unseen. He believed a God he could not see could bless him in ways that he could. What about you? Do you believe? You are only limited by your capacity to believe. What situation is seemingly dead in your life? No matter what it looks like, know that one Word from God can turn your hopeless situation around.
Closing Confession: Father, I expand my capacity to believe You. I take my limits off of my limitless God. There is nothing too hard for you. I am a believer and not a doubter. I walk by faith and not by fear. I believe You can turn my seemingly hopeless situation around. As a matter of fact, I extend past belief this morning and I start releasing my faith for it. Belief says it is possible, faith says it is done. I declare, by faith, that I have what I have been waiting on for so long. Like Abraham, I believe and like Abraham, I will receive. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
