Obedience in the Face of Doubt
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. Genesis 12:1-2
Abram did the unthinkable; he left his father’s home. All he had was a promise that eventually seemed unattainable.
God told Abraham, “As for Sarai you wife, you are not to call her Sarai any longer, because her name is to be Sarah.
I will bless her. Furthermore, I will give you a son from her.
I will bless her, so that nations, kings, and people will come from her.
Abraham fell to the ground, laughed, and told himself, "Can a child be born to a 100 year old man? Can a 90 year old Sarah give?” Genesis 17:15-17
His unsurprising response was, “Can a 100 year old man and a 90 year old woman have a son?”
Abraham had lived a long time and it showed. His old age was there for all to see.
Evidence not withstanding, he had a choice: believe the natural evidence or believe the word he received from God.
Abraham chose to believe God. He refused to accept the evidence in his body, the natural decay that comes with age, and believed the promise of God.
His belief was credited to him as righteousness. Romans 4:3. Galatians 3:6
This is also our challenge, to move out of the place we know, our "understanding," and transfer our trust to the one who has full knowledge and wisdom.
We rely too much on our own understanding and as a result fail to move into the things God has prepared for us.
We all have faith. It’s who, or what we have faith in that determines the direction of our life.
Relying on what we know limits us to the extent of our knowledge.
In faith we choose to rely on the promises of God, which more often than not make no sense in the natural.
Our faith in God is always challenging our understanding, but our obedience is a great source of strength and rejoicing in our spirit.
Our faith determines our direction, either away from God and deeper into what we “know,” or a resolve to believe and move deeper into God and the “unknown.”
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