When I was a kid, Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory had to be pretty close to my version of heaven minus the weird oompa loompas. It was a wonderful place where everything was edible and sweet–I can just taste that chocolate river now, but only five kids got to see the inside of the secretive factory. Why? Because they found golden tickets inside candy bars.
In Romans 4, the overall question Paul asks is how did Abraham get his golden ticket to heaven? And the answer is so much more important than touring a candy factory.
He believed in the promise that even in his old age God would give him a child. There was nothing, NOTHING, that could have given him hope that things would happen on their own.
Infertility is an age old problem and I know couples today who yearn to have a baby of their own, but medical complications get in the way. So not only did Abraham and Sarah most likely have medical problems, they were more qualified to be grandpa and grandma.
Instead of blowing God off and saying that the vision was indigestion, Abraham accepted that what God said would come to pass. As J. Vernon McGee said, “He looked away from his circumstances to the promise.”
The fact that Abraham is “fully convinced” as it says in verse 21 means there is no wiggle room for doubt. If you’ve gone into any of the neighborhoods flooded by Hurricane Harvey, you have a fair picture of his faith. Some of the houses were so immersed that all you could see were the rooftops.
“Therefore it was credited to him as righteousness.” Romans 4:22 ESV
Abraham was then considered good enough in God’s sight because of his belief. Although having a son might have been Abraham’s greatest desire, that wasn’t the end game for the Lord. There was so much more to God’s plan. Yes, He was going to create armies of little Abrahams, but more importantly, He was going to send from Abraham’s line an heir of the world–a.k.a. a superhero that could beat all of the Avengers single-handedly.
Which leads straight into verses 23-25.
We have the same promise of righteousness when we trust that Christ gave up His life for all believers. Even though we don’t have the opportunity to rub elbows with Jesus, we can read the memoirs of people who did and we benefit from their faith experiences.
If God can give life to Sarah’s womb, He can give life in Jesus’ tomb.
A current example of a man of faith is Nabeel Qureshi. Raised as a Muslim in the United States, he was challenged by a friend in college to go to Bible Study with him. After many debates, Nabeel chose Christ. He became a strong apologist and wrote several books.
In August 2016, Nabeel was diagnosed with stomach cancer, but despite the grim outlook, he chose to trust Christ again (see link to the video below).
https://youtu.be/U4AQBYf3wRY
On September 16, 2017, Nabeel became free of suffering forever. He is now seeing the “substance of things hoped for” in God’s presence.
What are some of your faith struggles?
Here is a list of common ones:
~Addictions
~Demonic Harassment
~Depression
~Fear
~Forgiveness
~Guidance
~Health
~Companionship
~Salvation
For me, fear of the future often holds me back from faith in the present. I’ve questioned if I will ever have a family of my own one day or will God have me be single forever?” (Answer: Yes, because there are no marriages in heaven.) 😉
In these times, it’s helpful for me to lean on God’s promises like Abraham did. I can remind myself to “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.” Psalm 37:4 CSB
One of my favorites is Psalm 16:8-9 ESV.
“I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.”
I want to challenge you to find a verse that deals with your faith struggle and memorize it before you lay your head on your pillow tonight. Biblegateway is a great resource for finding one. All you have to do is plug your topic into the search engine and it will pop up the verses related to it. www.biblegateway.com
~Anna McFarland
Drawn To His Light 