Hold on

How many times have you watched a movie where someone is hanging on by their fingernails from some precipitous height hoping to be rescued? If you’re like me, the tension you feel watching these scenes has been diminished by seeing them so often. You just sort of know how things are going to turn out.

We’ve all been faced with very difficult times in our lives. Holding on to God’s promises can be very trying when you’re staring at your ugly circumstance. Yet, God does not lie. What He promises He does. Sometimes, all I need to do is look at the evidence of my life to see just how good God is. The surest way to be rescued is to hang on until the end.

Abraham and Sarah were promised a child and at the age of 100 still hadn’t received that bundle of joy. Abraham is credited as righteous because he believed God could and would do whatever He promised. No one can live by faith for you. This is your choice, your decision. Trust the One who is trustworthy.

Romans 4:16-25
New Living Translation (NLT)
So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.

Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.