God of Life and Hope

I hope and pray that this day is going great for you. For us in Dallas, we awoke to a cooler start to our day. The change of weather feels good.

Today’s passage comes from Romans 4:13-25. The promise of a many descendents came to Abraham when he was 100 years old – he needed to have some faith! God had made a covenant with Abraham and declared that he would be the father of many nations. How could that be if he was well past his child rearing age, not to mention Sarah. In any case, the odds were against Abraham and Sarah…it would take a miracle.

Have you ever felt down and out? Have you ever felt as though there is no hope? That the odds are against you? With, everything seemed to point towards a hopeless case. Yet, the Apostle Paul declared, “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be" (Romans 4:18). Yesterday I reflected upon our need to wait on the Lord – to hope in the Lord and know that He is faithful to His word. Somewhere, and at some point, Abraham had to have had a “faith” and “hope” moment. Who was the God that Abraham believed in?

“He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed – the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.” (Romans 4:17)

Abraham had believed in the almighty God who could give life to an apparent dead situation. This was why Abraham was “fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” And of course, he was witness of this with his own wife who gave birth to a son, although she was barren.

What is our “barren” situation? Where do we need a miracle? A divine intervention? The same God whom Abraham trusted and believed is the same God who hears our prayer. God can “give life to the dead” situations in our lives; He can give us strength and courage to persevere.

Prayer: God of life and power, I offer all that I am to You this day. I offer my thanksgiving to You. And I also offer my “barren” situations that seem hopeless. I pray that You would give life where there is little or no life. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

By grace alone,
Pastor David