KEY VERSE

“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.””

— Romans 4:18

 

ROOTED TRUTH

Sometimes God asks us to hope when every circumstance says it is impossible. Abraham’s hope was not blind optimism. It was a decision to trust the promise of a God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.

 

FAITH STORY

Abraham was an old man when God promised him a child. By every human measure, it was impossible. He and Sarah were well past the years when children are born, and Sarah had never been able to conceive. The promise was bigger than their circumstances.

God took Abraham outside, pointed to the night sky, and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be.” And Abraham believed. Genesis tells us that God credited it to him as righteousness.

Paul returns to this moment in Romans 4 and describes it in a striking phrase: “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed.” There is a kind of hope that exists in the face of apparent hopelessness. It does not deny the facts. It simply trusts that God is bigger than them.

Paul is honest about the facts, too. He says Abraham “faced the fact that his body was as good as dead,” and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Abraham did not pretend. He looked at reality squarely. And then he looked at the promise of God, and he chose to believe.

Verses 20 and 21 give us the secret: “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 power to do what he had promised.” Notice that faith grew stronger as he gave glory to God.

Abraham’s journey was not without stumbles. He and Sarah tried to help God along, and it went badly. But in the end, God kept His promise, and Isaac was born. The wait was long, but the promise was true.

What is the impossible thing you are holding before God today? Look up, as Abraham did. Remember who promised. Be fully persuaded that God has the power to do what He has said.

 

SCRIPTURE FOR DEEPER ROOTS

Romans 4:20–21 — “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 power to do what he had promised.”

Genesis 15:5 — “He took him outside and said, ‘Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’”

Hebrews 11:1 — “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

 

DAILY PRACTICE

On a clear night, step outside and look up at the stars. Name before God one promise you are still waiting to see fulfilled, and thank Him that He is able. Say aloud, “I am fully persuaded that You have power to do what You have promised.”

 

DAILY PRAYER

God of Abraham, You give life to the dead and call things that are not as though they were. I bring You the impossible things in my life. Strengthen my faith as I give You glory, and make me fully persuaded that You will do what You have promised. Amen.

 

DEEP REFLECTION

1.  What “impossible” situation are you facing that requires hope against hope?

2.  How did Abraham’s faith grow stronger as he gave glory to God, and how might that apply to you?

3.  What promise of God do you need to be “fully persuaded” about today?

 

#DeeplyRooted#DailyRenewed

Devotions for a Grounded and Growing Faith