Faith

Believing without seeing!

It is very hard to believe things that seem far-fetched unless you see them with your own eyes. My dad, who is 87 years old, sometimes has a very hard time believing or comprehending things I tell him about modern day technology.

Take, for instance, “Uber”. I was trying to explain to him how Uber worked while I was sitting with him several weeks ago. I showed him how to plug in an address on my phone and then Uber would locate a driver that would pick you up to take you where you wanted to go. He trusted me but because he just could not “see” it nor understand it, he had a very hard time believing it was possible even though I told him I had used it recently while at a wedding in Nashville.

When I talk about an “app” on my phone, he just has this blank look on his face. There are many things that are hard to believe and, for him, computers and apps are beyond what he can comprehend. It reminded me of Abraham having to comprehend that, in his old age, he and Sarah would have a son as God had promised.

I can only imagine what Abraham thought …………..

Both the books of Genesis and Romans teach about Abraham. Genesis, being the very first book in the Bible found in the Old Testament, gives the account of Abraham being told by God that he would have a son in his old age (100). Sarah, his wife, would have the baby even though Scripture describes her womb as “dead!” Abraham was told he would be the father of many nations.

If you don’t know the story, it is found in Genesis 15-21. Sarah and Abraham did conceive a son but Sarah initially laughed in disbelief of God’s promise. After waiting on God for a while, she took matters into her own hands. Abraham went along with her plan and chose to sleep with Sarah’s maidservant, Hagar. Ishmael was born to Hagar but he was not the promised son. It was Isaac, the promised son, who was later birthed by Sarah. I have read this story many times. The book of Romans places emphasis on Abraham”s faith. We can all apply what Romans 4:18-24 teaches:

”Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had the power to do what he had promised. This is why ‘it was credited to him as righteousness.’ The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.”

Point of post: WE have to “drop our hands” and wait on God and His promises!

WE all are called to believe the promises of God without necessarily “seeing” first. Abraham believed God even though he caved to Sarah’s request by sleeping with Hagar who then became pregnant with Ishmael. That did not stop God’s promise of a son being born to Sarah.

Human sin, taking things into our own hands, doesn’t ever stop the sovereign will of God!

Taking things into our owns hands can bring heartache and strife..…when we should wait…
……even when we have been waiting for what we think is too long…
……even when we cannot wrap our minds around the things we don’t understand…
….we must believe God and “drop our hands” to His will His way.

Scripture teaches and God says, “Is there anything too hard for God?” No, there isn’t. So, if you are waiting for the promises found in Scripture for your life, continue to trust, continue to obey and don’t rely on your human reasoning.

I am so glad I don’t have to understand how Uber works in order to be able to use it. WE will not always, in fact very often we will not understand, how God works. Scripture teaches His ways are higher than ours. So, if you are in a period of waiting, do not grow weary. Read God’s word and be encouraged. God is never late on delivering a promise. He has the helicopter view to which we are not privy!

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