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. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” – Romans 4:20-22

 
Abraham was told that he would become the father of a nation – that his descendants would be more numerous than the stars in the sky.  Of course at the time he was given this promise it probably had the feeling of a cruel joke.  Abraham, 100 year old man married to Sarah, the 90 year old love of his life – not exactly the pair you’d expect to be gracing the cover of any parenting magazines.  But God had made a promise to Abraham – His word spoken over their lives would come true.  But having said that, I’m still curious how Abraham was able to do it.

 
Not the “become the father of many nations” part, although bouncing a healthy baby boy on a 100 year old knee strikes me as a challenge.  I’m wondering how it was that Abraham was able to wait as long as he did and maintain his hope without wavering.  Unwavering faith is a tricky thing.  For Abraham to believe that God would keep this promise isn’t hard.  But to hold on to that belief for years and years, waiting for the kids to come, feeling the disappointment of continued infertility.  Imagine the conversations they must have had over the years; waiting, wondering, but never giving up, never losing the faith that God would be true to His word.

 
I admire Abraham for his strength and patience in the demonstration of his faith.  God’s promises are true, His timing is perfect, and His plan aligns completely with His will for our lives.  But even though we know this, see it, and have even experienced it a time or two in our past, we still seem to find ourselves struggling with placing our faith totally in His hands.  Perhaps we trust Him for certain things, but struggle with the issues that we find most important.  Maybe we have specific qualifications or parameters that we place on God’s promises which make it harder for us to wait.  Or maybe as members of the post-modern era we simply aren’t very patient.

 
But then there’s Abraham – whose unwavering faith would ultimately be credited to him as righteousness.  I wonder how many times people told him he was crazy for waiting for a child, especially considering his advanced age and the years of trying.  I wonder if even Sarah shared this doubt, after all, she did laugh when the angels foretold of the pregnancy.  But we are told Abraham never doubted, not once, not even for a moment.  What amazing faith, and what an amazing result.

 
As we see this, we too have something to learn from Abraham’s faith.  By placing our faith totally in the hands of God, we allow our will to align with His.  The Holy Spirit becomes active within our lives and we are given renewed strength at higher levels than we have ever known before.  This is because we are no longer relying upon our own strength or resolve but upon the strength of God at work in our lives.  Our past mistakes no longer have any bearing.  Our impatience is replaced with resolve.  Our futures are certain.  Our peace is assured.

 
Live each day with the unwavering faith that God’s promises to you will come to fruition in the right time, the right place, and with His desired outcome.