Our Living Hope
“Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.” Romans 4:18
The key is to believe. 🔑
In other words, as the NLT says it: Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”
If God said it, it will come to pass, but we must believe! As we see in Romans 4, Abraham believed or trusted God and it was credited to him or his faith account if you will, as righteousness. Just anyone doesn’t get to have the promise. It is not for those who just work for them, it’s to those who believe. Then they will live their lives accordingly.. We are to keep in step with Gods commands or He wouldn’t have given them to us. But, what sets the believers apart from the unbelievers, is simply believing. They keep Gods commands and follow Him out of faith, not obligation. He came so that we might believe. “For God so loved the world, (the unbelievers - not yet believing) that He sent His only Begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH shall not perish but have everlasting life..........”
He has made it very clear that we must believe and that one day the believing will be separated from the unbelievers.
God made Abraham a promise but Abraham had to first believe. Even though all hope being gone, he still beleived. Even though it took years, the Bible says that He didn’t waver or weaken in his faith. Instead he praised and give glory to God in advance. He trusted that if God spoke it, that it would come to pass. That is why he and that is why we, can praise and live fully satisfied and assured that it is already. We just haven’t seen the fruition of it YET. That’s what hope does, it believes for something better. We can call those things that aren’t as though they are.
That’s what faith is: the assurance and confidence of what we hope for and the evidence and certainty of what we do not YET see. They go hand in hand. We can rest easy with the conviction that God is Who He says He is and He will do what He says He will do, just as Abram did.
Like the song Way Maker: Even when I don't see it, You're workin'. Even when I don't feel it, You're workin'. You never stop, You never stop workin'. God truly is promise keeper and miracle worker. It’s just as He promised Abraham a son and from that son a huge offspring, it didn’t happen right away. The reason all hope being gone is because he and Sarai were old and it didn’t seem like it was going to happen. It took years and trials in-between.
God came to Abraham and told him to fear not! He tells us the same, it’s a command for everyday. Because everyday there will be an opportunity to fear, doubt and worry which is unbelief and the direct opposite of faith. The Word says without faith we cannot please Him, it’s impossible! We have understandable concerns and human reason to worry but we serve an exceedingly abundantly God Who is more than able and not human. We can’t but He can. He knew there’d be room for fear unless Abraham understood and so filled his mind with praise and his heart with faith. Abraham looked beyond where he was and beyond what he could see now. We must too.
God also told Abram that He was his shield and his exceedingly great reward. He pays us more than what is due. He is our shield when trouble comes. He will see us through and rewards us for our faith. But we must hope and believe. Sarai didn’t want to wait, and she went ahead and tried to make the promise happen her self and so they had an Ishmael, which wasn’t the promise.
When we try to “make” things happen on our own, we end up with consequences and failure instead of the promise and the blessing. We settle, we lose faith, we waver, we don’t keep going and waiting for the real promise of God. Of course God still had a plan and He brought the real deal to pass, Isaac. God brought about and did what He said He would do. The seed is planted but it’s in the waiting that He is not only preparing the blessing but He is preparing our hearts to receive it. He is constantly reforming us. We must look to our God and return to Him, instead of our failures and constant disappointments. We must look to Him instead of our distractions.
A seed has a period of growth before the harvest and a pregnancy doesn’t happen over night just as your miracle doesn’t always. God is a God of miracles and we wouldn’t need a miracle unless we faced a challenge. We wouldn’t see the miracle unless we felt the pain of the wait. Suddenly’s are suddenly’s but sometimes they takes years before they get here. Yet we have faith eyes to see them before they do. What are you seeing? It might be time to change your point of view.
Your situation may seem impossible and hopeless. Maybe God’s waiting on you to turn to Him. Maybe you are exactly where you need to be. Maybe He’s given you a specific promise or maybe you’re needing one. Seek Him if you don’t have one. Wait on Him if you do! Zechariah 9:12 tells us to return to our stronghold and calls us prisoners of hope, and that HE will restore to us double. Only He can do this great work. We must get out of the way of self and get into faith. He calls us prisoners of hope, that’s huge!
We may feel like we are held captive by our circumstances and in the pit of pity but we are really prisoners of hope because we trust God to deliver us our just like Daniel did. We can have the even if attitude just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We won’t bow down to giving in and giving up our hope and so we won’t escape our hope. We won’t give in to doubt fear or worry. Even if reason for all hope being gone, we must believe. Even if it’s to old age, He says that He will carry us.
That word hope has been very evident to me this week. One of my devotions was on Hope, I seen an ambulance with the word hope, then started reading about Hope and Abraham, then I opened to this scripture in Acts:
“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.” Acts 17:26-27
Hope is all around us!
We are made for and by Him. He is our source, He is our LIVING HOPE. That’s good news. He is living. He is our hope. He never dies and so neither does our Hope have to die. So no matter what you think it is or isn’t, no matter how bad you don’t but do want to give up, look to Him Who created you and made you from dust. He’s not served by human hands and He doesn’t lack anything. (Acts 17:25)
We receive because we first believe and we must continue until we see the promise. Most of the Israelites didn’t enter their promised land because they doubted, murmured and complained. Joshua and Caleb entered in because they saw their God, not the size of the giants they would face, just like David. They were the believing generation that changed it all. The others saw themselves like grasshoppers. We must see with faith eyes and believe how Big our God is. He will come through for us.
We must keep our eyes and minds steady on Him. We must praise, pray and keep believing. If you’ve all but given up, this is an invitation to return. If you’ve never believed, now is the best time to start.
For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:
“For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.” Hebrews 10:36-39
We must endure, we have need of it. It’s only AFTER doing His will, that we receive the promise. Hope is an anchor, it won’t let go. Faith is believing. Trust knows it’s source. We must live by faith. That’s how we are justified. We aren’t walking blindly but rather trustingly and stepping forward everyday because we do believe that He guides us and He’s got our backs. That is why we do NOT shrink back from it.
Our doubt don’t please God nor confirm our faith in Him. Praise and believing leads to a good attitude, like Abram had. The opposite is doubt and unbelief, which leads us to a bad attitude, like Sarai at the time of weakness. We all have moments, what kind of attitudes we have will determine what we do. That’s what kept the Israelites out, but not giving up hope kept Abraham in. The Lords joy is our strength and He is our peace. If we don’t rejoice then we are weak and if we focus on fear then we aren’t kept in peace, but rather fear.
“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.”. Isaiah 26:3
He inhabits our praise. We find Him there.
“Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
We are told what to do and commanded. This pleases God so not praying and not praising displeases Him just as unbelieving does. These are actually the things that build our faith. We can’t please Him without faith and we won’t trust Him without it. We must have both because we cannot see even out next step. We trust Him to guide.
Fear goes against everything He tells us because the enemy wants us to give up. But only he who endured till the end is saved. We must not let go of our hope and we must stay rooted in our faith, causing it to grow everyday!!!!
Like the kids song says, read your Bible and pray everyday and you’ll grow, grow grow. Don’t read your Bible and forget to pray and you’ll shrink, shrink, shrink.
Build your faith!
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
It’s a command for believers and followers, not an option. Faith is the exact opposite of fear. It’s not the we aren’t facing fear but rather opposing it. The only fear that we should have is a reverential fear of God Almighty which causes us to trust and follow Him. All else is a distraction and attack on our faith so that we will lose it and get off course to not receive the promise. Don’t shrink back! Stand firm in your faith or not at all. Only be strong and courageous and you will move forward in faith. Hope is an anchor, don’t let go.
I want to leave you with this:
You may be asking, can He do this?? Can He move this mountain? Can He make a way?
Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
We must believe. The promise comes after we do. There is a due season for everything but the faith is what waters the seed. Don’t loose your hope, stay tied to. In Jesus Name, Amen.
