Hal Chaffee Ministries

He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God… – Romans 4:20

Abraham is the father of our faith. He was called by God to become the father of not just the Jewish people but of all who follow his example of faith. God shows us this when He promises that he will be ‘the father of many nations’ (Gen. 17:5). All over the world, there are those who follow in the faith of Abraham and therefore are his children. Every true Christian can claim him as their father, and should.

The faith of Abraham was remarkable, so much so that God credited his faith as righteousness (Gen. 15:6). But what was Abraham’s faith like? And how can we model it?

In this blog, I will seek to explain and show that:

1. Abraham’s faith was not based on circumstances, but God’s word.
2. Abraham’s faith was unwavering.
3. Abraham was fully persuaded that God would bring about His promises.
4. We can have faith like Abraham by following his example.

Faith in God, not circumstances

And being not weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. – Romans 4:19

Abraham found himself in increasingly impossible circumstances. He was 75 years old when God first promised to make him a great nation (Gen. 12:1-4). This made his wife about 65. These advanced ages make it very difficult to produce offspring. There are reports of women giving birth in their older years, with one woman from China becoming pregnant naturally at 67 years old,[^ https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/28/asia/china-birth-older-woman-intl-hnk-scli%5D but this is highly unusual. It is not impossible, though. Perhaps, with God’s help, Abraham concluded that his wife would become like one of these women who became pregnant in their later years. However, God was not going to allow the possibility for anyone to think that this promise was fulfilled in a natural way. He let Abraham go on for another 25 years before the promise came to pass. Then, at about 100 years old, God said, “Now that you are very old, and Sarah well passed the age of childbearing, I will bring my promise to pass, that you may know that nothing is too difficult for the Lord” (my paraphrase).

At first, Abraham laughed (as did Sarah), but when he realized God was serious, he chose to believe God’s word over his present circumstances. His present circumstances said that it was utterly impossible for his wife to conceive and bear a son, but God’s word said otherwise. Instead of considering his impossible circumstances, He considered His God, who specializes in doing the impossible.

We also, if we wish to receive the promises of God in our lives, must not look at our present circumstances, as if they dictate what God can and cannot do. If God has promised something to you, He can bring it to pass against the most contrary conditions. Instead of considering our circumstances, we should do as our father of faith has done, and consider God’s word above all else.

Abraham did not waver

He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God… – Romans 4:21

Abraham’s faith was unwavering. That is, he did not waffle back and forth about whether God would do what He had promised. God had shown Himself to be faithful to His word in the past. There was no reason to doubt His word, even though the promise lingered.

The Bible teaches that a wavering faith does not receive God’s promise. The apostle James wrote about this in his letter:

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. – James 1:6-8

James tells us not to doubt. This word doubt is also translated as ‘wavering.’ In fact, it is the same Greek word used in Romans 4:21. It means to waffle back and forth between two opinions. This is why James described someone as being driven by the waves of the sea. At one moment, he is of the persuasion that God will accomplish His word; at another, he does not believe it will ever come to pass. It is like Peter, who, with eyes upon Jesus, walked upon the water; but when his eyes went unto the waves, he ceased to believe.

Abraham was not like this. He was strong in faith, continually persuaded that God would do what He promised. How did he maintain this unwavering faith? He did it by ‘giving glory to God.’

Abraham had a habit of building altars in every new place that he went. In fact, it was his first order of business. At these altars, he would worship God with praise and thanksgiving, continually giving glory to God. By doing this, the Bible says he was ‘strengthened in faith.’

If we wish to have strong, unwavering faith, we must have a close relationship with the object of our faith. The better you know a person, the easier it is to trust them. This is why faith dies without a consistent life of fellowship in the Spirit. We must continually offer to God the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving if we wish to have that close and intimate relationship with Him. This kind of relationship fuels and strengthens faith. When we can say, “I know Him,” we can also say, “I trust Him.”

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. – Hebrews 13:15

A strong praise life equals a strong faith life.

Abraham was fully persuaded that God was able

And being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. – Romans 4:22

Abraham was convinced that God could do the impossible. Why? Because God had already done impossible things in his life. He brought him from his homeland and blessed him exceedingly. He plagued the household of Pharaoh when he tried to take his wife. By God, Abraham defeated four kings and their armies with his untrained servants. He then gave him a child by his 90-year-old wife. It is with all this in mind that he could steadfastly go to the mountain to sacrifice his son. He reasoned that if God did such wonderful things for him in the past, He could also raise his son, Isaac, from the dead.

God has done wonderful things in our lives, things we too often forget. There have been times that God has delivered us from impossible circumstances. Why should we doubt that He will do it again?

I think Abraham’s firm persuasion was rooted in his past experiences with God. I bet that he reminded himself of all the times that God has been faithful. God did not fail him then, nor would He now.

The people of Israel failed in their faith for this precise reason. They forgot the good things God had done for them (Psa. 78:42). They should have believed that the same God who delivered them from Pharaoh could deliver them from the Canaanites. But they did not call those days into remembrance. David, however, remembered how God delivered him from the lion and the bear when facing Goliath. He said:

“The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” -1 Samuel 17:37

To be fully convinced, we must continually remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness. As the psalmists said:

I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread. – Psalm 37:25

God hasn’t let me down yet. Why should I believe that He will now?

Conclusion

A faith like Abraham’s should be coveted by us all. He is called the father of the faith for good reason. He was continually presented with impossible circumstances; yet he believed God was able to do as He promised.

Abraham’s story was not written so we could simply admire his faith from afar. On the contrary, the scripture invites us to share a similar faith, to believe as he did, and to receive God’s blessings as he did. When we observe his insistence on believing God over his circumstances, how he strengthened his faith by giving glory to God, and the care he took to remind himself of God’s faithfulness, we can imitate him and also have a faith that secures the impossible.