GOD IS ABLE - 15. God has promised

~ Abraham did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. -Romans 4:20-21

There is perhaps no greater example of faith than Abraham. In the New Testament his name is found at least 70 times, and among Old Testament people who are mentioned in the New, only Moses is named more often. Further, on four different occasions the New Testament writers specifically analyze Abraham's life as an example of faith in action (not only here in Romans 4 but also in Galatians 3, Hebrews 11, and James 2.)

This Romans 4 passage refers to a time when God told Abraham and his wife Sarah that they would finally have a son of their own. But already for about 15 years Abraham had been waiting for God's promise that his descendants would someday be as numerous as the stars—yet not one child of their own had been born. What's more, Abraham was now 99 years old and still waiting!

So now, there were two considerations for Abraham.  One was the natural course of life.  The likelihood that he and Sarah would have a child at their age was laughably low; and in fact, at various times both of them did laugh about the idea (see Genesis 17 and 18).

But the second consideration was the God who makes promises. What kind of God is He? Is He powerful and capable? And if so, can He be trusted even if His promises seem delayed or unlikely? The text says that Abraham became strong in faith. This doesn't mean he finally scraped together a lot of faith particles; instead, Abraham was fully convinced that the God who made promises was also able to carry them out.

What are God's promises to His followers? Today He says things like, "I will not remember your sins; I will never leave you; and I (said Jesus) will come again." Can we trust promises like that?

Faith is the decision to live as if God can be trusted. Faced with two considerations—the natural course of things and the God who makes promises—Abraham trusted the God who is able. We can, too.