Whenever I think of Abraham, the words "believed God" immediately follow the intrusion of his name into my thoughts. As a matter of fact, his obedience was so pivotal in the success of what God wanted to do in the earth that two of the New Testament writers, Paul and James, found it necessary to use him as an example in their exposition of the doctrine of faith (Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23). From the time God first showed up with only the promise of making him a great nation and demanded that he leave his country and family for some unidentified place (Genesis 12), and throughout the rest of his life, the circumstances under which the obedience of this patriarch of God was tested were not always clear to him. Yet, in obvious reference to Genesis 15:6, Paul and James remind us that "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."
The faith which Abraham exercised was that his posterity should be like the stars of heaven in number. This promise was made to him when he had no child, and of course when he had no prospect of such a posterity. In detailing the strength and nature of this faith, Paul writes, "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before Him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 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. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform" (Romans 4:16-21, KJV). As Bible Scholar Albert Barnes notes, "The reason why it was counted to him for righteousness was, that it was such a strong, direct, and unwavering act of confidence in the promise of God."
Strong. Direct. Unwavering. Words that reflect the kind of faith that God honors. This was not blind faith because it was faith in the One who call those things which be not as though they were. With that kind of omnipotence, there was nothing He couldn't do and therefore Abraham was fully persuaded that what God had promised He was able to perform. He knew quite intimately what God desires for every one of His children to know - He can be trusted. However, as Abraham found out, God's timetable is not our timetable and therein lies our challenge. Can we trust God enough to wait upon Him, even if that wait seems to be an awfully long one? It took 25 years from the declaration of the promise of a son to it's fulfillment. Did God have to take that long? No, but I'm sure He had His reasons. The most important thing is not how long He will take to answer but can we stay the course and trust Him.
Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Could the same thing be said about you?
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