Hope Against Hope

My reading is in Romans these days. That's where the L3 Journal has led us. And, this guide has not led me astray yet. As we plow through the calendar and read the passages that everyone else following the guide is reading, God speaks DIRECTLY to my needs THAT day. That's the absolute beauty of His Word... it's applicable to every situation that life provides.

Today, I was getting caught up and reading through Romans 4. I came across a curious grouping of words in verse 18,

"Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations."

Have you ever hoped against ALL hope?

Me too! As children, I believe that we all hope for things that we KNOW will NEVER come true. I mean, that's the nature of a fairy tale! Frogs don't REALLY turn into princes, a princess can't REALLY be kissed out of a deep, death-like sleep, and human beings can't REALLY become vampires and live forever with the love of their life. (I couldn't help myself!)

But... there's still the hope!

Well, Abraham didn't JUST hope against all hope. He believed  in that hope. He was OLD; and, yet, he believed that he would be the father of many nations. Why? Because God said it.

The other night, as I was falling asleep, I began to think about all of the uncertainty in my life right now. There are so many questions and so few answers. I was praying and voicing to God that I KNOW that He has all of this under control. I was expressing that I trust Him with the details of our life. I BELIEVE that He will uncover the details of His plan to us when the time is right.

BUT... as I was praying, I had to confess to God that those are the beliefs that I WANT to have. However, my faith, these days, is small. I began to plead with Him that He would take the small amount of faith that I have and multiply it like the bread and fish He multiplied in the New Testament.

I have to believe that THIS is the kind of faith that Abraham had! He had a relationship with God. He knew God to be faithful. But... "father of many nations? Do you know how old I am, God?"

And, then God took whatever small amount of faith that Abraham offered, multiplied it, and "it was credited to him as righteousness".

A few verses later, Paul writes of Abraham, "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."

Are you hoping against hope for anything right now? I would venture to guess that the restoration of your seemingly hopeless situation would not require more power than it took to make a really old man the father of many nations. Could you take that situation to the Lord being persuaded that HE has the power to do all that He's promised?

If we can hope with THIS kind of hope, I believe God will multiply it. We will be blessed, because He WILL prove faithful. And, He will be glorified as our faith is credited to us as righteousness, because OUR righteousness ALWAYS points to HIM!