Abraham: Choosing to believe in a very difficult situation

Abraham: Choosing to believe in a very difficult situation

Abraham’s faith in God was tested in a way that most of us will never experience.

27/01/20256 min

By ActiveChristianity

Abraham: Choosing to believe in a very difficult situation

Abraham was already an old man when God promised him: “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” Genesis 15:5 (NLT). Abraham and his wife Sarah had no children and were already too old to get children. But Abraham believed God’s promise, even if it was naturally speaking impossible.

Abraham’s faith in God was tested with this promise, to see if he would believe what God had said no matter what his reasoning told him. Abraham stayed firm in his faith, and God kept his promise (Romans 4:20). Sarah gave birth to a baby boy, and they named their son Isaac, as God told them to do.

Read more about Sarah’s faith here: Sarah: She believed that God would keep His promise

The second test

But God would test Abraham’s faith a second time, and this was a test unlike any other.

A few years later, when Isaac was a boy, God came again to speak with Abraham. “Take your son,' God said, 'your only son, Isaac, whom you love so much, and go to the land of Moriah. There on a mountain that I will show you, offer him as a sacrifice to me.'" Genesis 22:2 (GNT).

What was Abraham supposed to think about this? None of it made sense. God seemed to be going against what He Himself had promised.

But Abraham’s faith in God did not become weak. Even though the situation looked totally impossible, he got up in the morning, packed his donkey, took the wood that was needed for the offering, and started the three-day journey up the mountains with Isaac. (Genesis 22.)

We can imagine he would have been tempted with thoughts of doubt as he went up Mount Moriah. Thoughts like: “Sarah’s heart will probably break, and she’ll never forgive me. I'll be a murderer. I must have misunderstood; a loving God could never have given such a command!”

But Abraham had not heard wrong; he obeyed because God had said it, and we know what happened. These thoughts of doubt that Satan whispered in his ear were overcome by his faith. He believed without doubting that God would keep His promise – even if that meant He had to raise Isaac back up from the dead. (Hebrews 11:17-19.)

Faith gives us power to act

Of course, God did keep His promise. At the last moment, He stopped Abraham from killing Isaac, and later, Isaac became the father of the nation of Israel.

In the same way, we can be tempted to doubt when God is working in us to do something and we have to step out in faith. Maybe we are not sure how the future will go if we do this, but faith gives us power to act, even though we can’t see what the result will be. (Hebrews 11:1.) When we have the shield of faith, we too can resist the thoughts of doubt that Satan tries to plant. (Ephesians 6:16.)

The God of Abraham is the same God that we serve today. He is from eternity until eternity, and there is nothing that He can’t do. No matter how impossible circumstances look, and how proud and selfish and easily angry I am by nature, God is able to do a miracle in my life.

He has promised that I – who have a sinful human nature, and am full of pride and selfishness, and all kinds of other sinful desires – can be changed to become like Christ. (Romans 8:29.) Even someone with a nature like mine, with all my sinful habits and tendencies, can share in the godly nature! (2 Peter 1:4.) When I believe this and act on it, then I will be a child of God and will inherit all things together with Jesus! (Romans 8:16-17.) Is there any reason to doubt Him? No, not one!

“He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” Revelation 21:7.

No limits!

We learn from Abraham that faith in God means we have to do something. We read in Romans 16:20 (CEB): “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” What is faith then? Is it to sit back and say, “Yes, I believe God will crush Satan under my feet” and then wait for it to happen?

No, it is to go to action, and go in faith when God works in me to do something, like Abraham did when he packed the wood that was needed to sacrifice his son. It will mean that I have to sacrifice things, I have to give up my own will in order to do God’s will. To give up my own selfish will is a condition to receive the promise that we can share in His godly nature.

Let’s follow the example of Abraham, whose obedience made him “the father of our faith”. (Romans 4.) Believe in the promises of God and be quick to fulfil the conditions so God can bless you! Don’t let your faith and trust in God depend on what your reasoning tells you. No matter what your nature and circumstances are God can save and change you completely! He doesn’t ask if we are able, He only asks if we are willing. If the answer to that is Yes, we can do everything through faith in Him.

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This article is based on an article by Julia Albig originally published on https://activechristianity.org/ and has been adapted with permission for use on this website.