Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations.  Romans 4:18

A certain couple were in deep water financially.  They tried to borrow money from the bank, from a brother-in-law, from friends and acquaintances, but without success.  Talking over their plight the wife said, “We’ve tried everything–there is nothing we can do but trust God!”  “Oh, no!” exclaimed the husband, “Has it really come to that?”

Few ever learn the simple lesson of depending upon God as did Abraham long ago.  He left his home and set out on a journey of over 1000 miles through desolate, barren lands, and eventually became the father of two great nations.  Abraham wasn’t a perfect man.  He bent the truth when Abimelech wanted Sarah for his wife; he tired of waiting on God to give him a son and took matters into his own hands; yet when it came to believing that what God had promised He was able to perform, Abraham’s faith was a model for us to follow.

Abraham’s faith, though, didn’t exempt him from hardship or from trouble.  His nephew was kidnaped and held for ransom; his employees were involved in labor disputes.  His herds faced famine, and the very life of his son was in jeopardy.  In this we can learn some important lessons.

Once, when I spoke at a conference, I spoke about the testing which Abraham endured, as God wanted to know if Abraham was willing to give his son as an offering, and I quoted Isaiah 43:2, which says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you….”  After the message a young father said, “You’ll never know what that text has meant to me.”  He explained that he had been fishing in a certain river when his wife and three-year-old were involved in an automobile accident a short distance upstream.  In the accident the little boy was thrown in the raging river and drowned.  He said, “It brings such comfort to know that God is with us in and through the waters.”

Faith is the determination to keep on walking with God no matter what happens, and that faith results in commitment.  I have never fully been able to understand why so many folks actually think that faith in God should deliver us from testing.  God loved Abraham, and Abraham loved his son, yet God brought deliverance through the trials.

Have you ever asked yourself, why is it so difficult for me to learn the simple lesson of dependence upon God?  There are three reasons why I’ve struggled with turning loose, and I suspect you can identify with these.

Faith demands dependence and we fight turning loose because of our stubborn independence.  Notice a little child as you try to help him and he says, “I’d rather do it myself.”  The trapeze artist in the circus has to turn loose of the one bar before he can fly through the air and grab the more distant one. Turning loose is hard.

The second reason it is hard to trust God more fully is because of our willful pride.  We hold on to things as long as possible.  We trust neighbors, friends, relatives, ministers and doctors — about anybody — before we are driven to trust God.

The third reason it is so hard to trust God is because of our sinful nature.  Our old man cries out in rebellion, but the simple life of faith rests upon the promises of God’s Word.  J. Elton Trueblood, the Quaker scholar, once wrote, “Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation.”  When there is nothing left but God–you will learn that God is enough. You can trust Him, and when you do, you’ll need nothing else.

 

Resource reading: Romans 5:1-11