Hebrews 11:8-12

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.  By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.  For he was looking forward to a city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.  By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.  Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

We often think of faith as being something mystical and all about “spiritual” things.  The reality is that faith is about normal everyday “stuff” like where we live and our family.  Attempts to separate the physical and the spiritual are pointless and often harmful to our understanding of how God works in our lives.  God’s working in our hearts will always show up in our hands and feet.  This is clearly evident in the lives of Abraham and Sarah. 

ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD ABOUT PLACES: The key word to understanding Abraham’s faith is the word “obey.”  God told Abraham to leave where he was and go to another place that was unspecified.  This is very typical of the way God works in our lives.  He gives us enough revelation that we know what He wants us to do next.  That is usually only one or maybe two steps from where we are right now.  We typically like to see about ten steps ahead or even get a glimpse of not only the final destination but all the “pit stops” along the way.  God does not work that way because that is not what faith is.  Faith is obeying what we know even when we cannot see how we will reach the final destination.  Abraham knew there would be an inheritance but did not really know much about it or the path along the way.  He did know that it was promised by a faithful God who is a great and faithful Rewarder.  That must be enough.  He was willing to live in tents instead of staying in a familiar place.  God gave his children along the way who had to join him in that journey of faith.  His motivation was the promises of God.  We must trust the Lord and His promised rewards even when we find ourselves “living in tents.”  The only way we can do that is by simply taking the next step of obedience that God has called us to take.  Don’t require the revelation of multiple steps before taking the next one.

SARAH BELIEVED GOD ABOUT PEOPLE: Bareness is a theme that we see repeatedly throughout Scripture.  The reality is we see it in all of life.  All of us have friends and/or family members who have faced this same struggle.  Abraham and Sarah had faced this for decades.  Then God shows up after they have passed the age of being able to conceive a child and makes a promise that they will not only have a child but that they would have a multitude of descendants.  This does not make any sense.  The promises of God are like that.  Believing God about a new person coming into their family when they were old must have looked crazy to everyone who was around them.  The only reason for them to believe was the faithfulness of God who had made the promise.  His promise to save from sin all who trust Christ is not logical, but praise be to God… it is true.

APPLICATION: Take the next step of obedience even when we are unsure about the second step or the long-term implications of that step.  Don’t allow the unforeseen immediate negative results (living in tents) discourage us or distract us from trusting God and His promises.  Be prepared to believe God in tames and ways that may not make sense to others or even in our own minds.