Verse: Romans 4:18-21
18 Against all 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.
Devotion
I read this passage two days ago in my personal time with God and it just stuck out to me. If you aren't familiar with the story, God made a covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12 & 17) that he would use him to start a nation that would bless all nations. The irony of the story was that Abraham and his wife Sarah were both very old and past child bearing years. But isn't this how God works in our lives? God wanted to show that the salvation of the world was not coming through man, but through God. The birth of Abraham's son Isaac (the lineage Jesus would eventually come through) was of God. God waited till they were past child bearing age to show it was about him and not about them.
In the same way our salvation is about God and not about us. It's a theme all through the entire Bible, "salvation is from God not from us." We can't earn our salvation. We can't earn God's love. We can't be "good enough." The New Testament tells us, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Coming back to the passage for today, what challenges me and encourages me is these two little snippets: "he did not waver through unbelief" and he was "fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised." I want that to be true of me. I want to fully trust God's Word and his promises. I want to "not waver through unbelief."
Obviously this can be hard sometimes. I struggle with doubt and insecurity at times. But that is why God has provided us with so many passages and stories in his Word like this. The clear message is this: he is faithful and trustworthy. It is all about him, not me. So when I question his leading in my life, his Word, his promises or even my future in him, I am reminded of his faithfulness. And then I am able to be fully persuaded that God will do what he has promised.