06
The Hall of Faith
Tim Savage5Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”
6And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith. Genesis 15
Abraham is in God’s Hall of Faith. He believed everything God promised to him even though the promises came so late in life. To see the uncountable stars in the sky and to think that he would have descendants as numerous as that when he was 99 years old is to have an unshakeable and immovable faith in God. God wants our faith; He wants us to believe Him with the innocence and trust of a child. The Lord counted Abram righteous because of his faith and He was rewarded with so many descendants they couldn’t be counted. Would I have faith at 99 years old that God would fulfill a promise so audacious? Do I have faith that the promises of God will come true in my life (and I’m not even 99 years old!)? I think my biggest question is how do I know when a promise is from God and not just my own desire?
I want my faith to be unshakeable like Abraham’s. I want to be fully available to serve God in whatever way He sees fit and not question Him, but in the account of Abram, the Bible says “the Lord took him outside…” so the implication is that Abram knew, without a doubt, that it was the Lord. Today, we have the added twist of not actually hearing the literal voice of God; we have to discern whether it’s God’s voice.
I can’t solve the mystery of being able discern God’s voice, other than to say, we just know when we know, but I want to be ready to submit to His will with a willing heart. I’ve often thought about how to grow my faith when I’ve been blessed with such a very good life. I’ve got a great job, wonderful family and blessings galore, so it feels like I haven’t been tested, kind of like Job before the roof falls in. I hope never to have my faith tested like that! But I do want to strengthen my faith. I hope continuing to be in God’s word daily, praying, helping others and being available to serve Him is a good start.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the unearned blessings in my life. I want to have an immovable and unshakeable faith. I want to be used by You.
In Jesus name,
Amen
