By Faith (Lessons learn from the life of Abraham)

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When it comes to faith, there’s going to be waiting involved. I love the way C.S. Lewis put it: “I am sure that God keeps no one waiting unless he sees that it is good for him to wait.” We can trust God to do what’s best for us at the right time.

Even when we’re forced to wait, God often reinforces his promises to us and reminds us of his presence. It might be through his Word, by a whisper, through a person, or simply through our believing by faith that he is with us.

Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. —Martin Luther King Jr.

If you want to strengthen your faith, I know of no better place to look than the book of Hebrews. There, in chapter 11, we find the Faith Hall of Fame, a list of so many people who struggled, waited, lived by faith, and saw God’s promises fulfilled.

There we find people going through unbelievable things—seemingly impossible trials—and ultimately experiencing a new level of intimacy with God even as they witness more of his power.

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By faith, Noah obeyed God and built an ark, saving his family. By faith, Abraham and Sarah received the son God promised them, even though they were past the age of childbearing. By faith, Joseph overcame betrayal, slavery, false accusations, and imprisonment to save the nation of Israel.

By faith, God’s people left Egypt and walked through the Red Sea as it parted on either side of them. By faith, the Israelites marched around the walls of Jericho, and the walls came tumbling down.

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These weren’t perfect people—far from it, in fact. They all had their struggles and doubts, their mistakes and infidelities, their flaws and their weaknesses, but they persevered in their faith and waited on God again and again.

By faith, you will get through this.

Think about it: if you had everything figured out, you wouldn’t need faith. You could live simply by your understanding. By your logic, but not by faith. But when you don’t understand something, that gives you the unique opportunity to deepen your faith.

Oswald Chambers said, “Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.”

Pray: God, will you grow my faith way beyond my own need to figure everything out?