Have you ever wondered how you can trust the promises of God?
If you have spent time perusing the pages of God’s word you know that he has made some incredibly powerful promises to his people. His most profound promises are the things we can all hold onto through our relationship with Christ, grace, mercy, forgiveness and salvation, just to name a few. Others are more personal and are prepared only for us, revealed privately through the prompting of his Holy Spirit.
Whether offered to all mankind or saved specifically for us, God’s promises are often inconceivable, improbable and at times even impossible without divine intervention.
So how can we live with confidence that God will come through when his promises stretch not only our faith but also our imagination?
The Apostle Paul points believers to the ever-increasing faith of Abraham as an example to be emulated…
“No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was ‘counted to him as righteousness.’” (Romans 4:20–22 ESV)
If you remember the Old Testament story, God made an incredible promise to Abraham that he would bless and ultimately redeem the world through his offspring. The only problem was that Abraham had no children at the time of God’s promise.
While Abraham was undoubtedly excited he was understandably curious as…
“…he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.” (Romans 4:19 ESV)
Still, Abraham was confident, regardless of his circumstances, that God would deliver on his promises. Abraham never lost faith.
How?
He gave glory to God!
Did you catch what Paul said?
“He grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God…”
Abraham didn’t wait for God to answer his prayers or fulfill his promises. Instead, he gave glory to God and that increased his faith.
While it may seem sensible to wait until we see faith become fact, choosing to give God glory as we pursue his promises strengthens our faith and secures our confidence in him. Inevitably, giving glory to God causes us to lift our eyes off of our circumstances and rest them on him who is able to accomplish immeasurably more!
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV)
How can we have faith that God will fulfill his inconceivable, improbable and even impossible promises? Give glory to God!