Blessed to be a blessing VIV

Hebrews 11: 1 now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Romans 4: 18 Against all (human) 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.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

Abraham didn’t focus on his own impotence and say, “It’s hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.” Nor did he survey Sarah’s decades of infertility and give up.

Abram faced an unchangeable, physical as well as a psychological obstacle.

Do you think he experienced doubts?

Did he make mistakes? Take things into his hands, experience moral collapse?

Against all (human) hope

Sometimes the greatest reason that we do not have hope is that “We know ourselves”
What do I mean?

How many of us have failed ourselves so many times that we longer trust ourselves to do it right?
We have to be able to believe that God can even go beyond US!

Abraham’s Lack of Patience “There is an ancient legend that Abraham invited into a man into his tent for a meal, but at the mealtime he didn’t give thanks to God for His mercy. Because of this Abraham drove him out of his tent into the desert unfed and unsheltered.

But in the night God touched Abraham and awoke him up, saying to him, “Where is the stranger?” Abraham said, “When he did not fear you, or give you thanks, I drove him out.” God rebuked him, saying, “Who made you his judge: I have put up with him all these years. Could you not bear with him one night? Have you learned nothing from my mercy to you?”

Hope is really only possible when we understand God’s mercy toward us.