Joel M Bradshaw

1After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.–Genesis 15

You might be going through something very difficult and it is hard to trust God. You might read Scripture and struggle with holding onto faith in the midst of your situation. My finances are stressful, will God provide for me? I am full of regret, has he actually forgiven me? I feel so hopeless, is there truly any hope for me? I feel so alone, is God with me?

Abram faced hearing the great promises of God with the reality that he was an old man with an old wife and they didn’t have any children. His question to God is more like faithful Mary the mother of Jesus and less like doubting Zechariah the father of John the Baptist. The New Testament writers later picked up on Abe’s moment from today’s chapter.

What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:1-3)

You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. (James 2:22-23)

Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. (Galatians 3:5-7)

This is the pivotal moment and one that would affect salvation history. Either faith was good enough for God or it was not. Humanity has struggled with this ever since. Either I can earn my way into God’s favor through works or it’s my faith which saves me. For Abram it was his faith that led to righteousness not his deeds. Through that very faith we get to join him in God’s great plan.

You might just be facing something really tough, but your situation is most likely not more difficult or seemingly-impossible than Abram’s. And yet he trusted God and believed His Word. Do you, my friend? The Bible is blessedly clear about our situations and how we are to face them. Belief and trust are things you can’t truly fake.–JMB