And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. (Hebrews 11:9)
IN THE BOOK of Hebrews, Abraham is praised for believing God's promises.
God called Abraham to move to a place where he didn't know a soul. He had no permanent place to live, no community to rely upon for support, and no one to call in times of trouble. When he left Ur, he left the security of a permanent place of residence. He was able to live apart from established and secure human communities only because he "was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations" (Hebrews 11:10).
He was also sustained by God's promise of a son. Many years after Abraham, Paul commented on Abraham's ability to endure difficult circumstances and to remain obedient through years of waiting: "Abraham's faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah's womb" (Romans 4:19).
Whether living in a tent on foreign land or defying the odds of having a child, Abraham believed the promise. He took the Lord at His word.
Do you believe God? If He says something in His Book, do you look for ways to dodge the issue and rationalize your way around it, or do you see His commands as a personal opportunity to live by faith? Guard against letting the difficulty of a choice keep you from accepting the challenge of doing what He asks. Don't let the odds of any situation keep you from trusting God. The odds will often be stacked against you, or truth be told, you might find yourself blindsided by overwhelming odds. People who live by faith don't focus on actuaries and statistics. When God says, "Go!" people of faith don't waste time calculating the odds. They obey God's instructions and refuse to live on the edge of fear.
REFLECT
How do you respond when God says, "Go!"? What promises of God do you need to cling to today?
Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. . . . He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.
Content taken from FAITH FOR THE JOURNEY , by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2014. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
Used with permission. All rights reserved.
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