This devotion is the second in the series that parallels the Bible Study series “Centering Jesus: Seeing Jesus at the heart of Scripture” Follow the link to see the rest of the study and the other devotions in this series.
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Abraham: Trusting God in Uncertain Times
She didn’t want to move. Everyone and everything she knew was her hometown. Her dad said there wasn’t much choice in the matter. The company needed to relocate his job, and this would be the best thing for the family. She knew she should trust him, but how could she know things would turn out best for her? What if she didn’t make friends at the new school? What if it was hard to learn her way around the new city? What if she couldn’t handle the cold weather? And why should she have faith that things would work out? None of it was fair.
Perhaps you have felt like this before. Maybe you had to start out in a new school, church, or home. Maybe you had to give up something you loved. Or maybe you found yourself in a situation with an uncertain outcome. It is never easy to deal with the unknown or to trust that God will work things out. The Bible reminds us time and again that the Lord is in control and is faithful to be with us, but that can be tough to take comfort in when we don’t see Him physically or understand what He’s doing.
In the book of Genesis, we read about a man named Abraham, who trusted in God without knowledge of his life’s final outcomes. Abraham (originally Abram) was called by God to leave his home and journey wherever the Lord would lead. God promised that He would take care of Abraham, and that he would one day be a great nation, with countless descendants. Abraham didn’t even know his final destination, and at the time of the promise he and his wife had no children. However, he trusted God and obeyed His commands. God did fulfill His promises, but not overnight. In fact, Abraham and his wife Sarah waited 25 years before their first son was born. They almost gave up hope, but God does not disappoint.
In Hebrews 11, faith is defined as the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Later in the chapter, the life of Abraham is summarized:
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 the 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. –Hebrews 11:8-12
Genuine faith endures, not because we are strong, but because God is. We can rest assured that our trust in God will prevail because God has gifted us faith and proved He keeps His promises. Abraham and Sarah had faith in a future hope, but we have the gift of faith in Jesus who lived a perfect life and die on our behalf.
There are a lot of things that come along in our lives that we don’t understand. There are many future events we can’t know about or even prepare for. There are people who will let us down or prove unworthy of our trust. But God is perfectly reliable. He will never leave us or forsake us, and He always has our best interests in mind.
Jesus promises to be with us, like Abraham, so that no matter what challenges come our way. Through our gift of faith, we can rely on God to comfort, encourage, forgive, and provide for us. He gave us Jesus. He gives us life. He endures!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your enduring promises and never-failing strength. Thank you for being with us and providing for us. Help us to trust in You, even when we feel confused or uncertain. Help us to have faith through all of life’s ups and downs. Thank you for loving us. In Jesus’s name, Amen
Journal Questions:
- When have you had to wait on God’s timing for something and later saw a promise fulfilled? How did you have patience in that process?
- What are some things in life that people put their trust in, only to be disappointed?
- How do you answer people who ask why you believe in an unseen God?
- What is something in your life right now that you are trying submit to God and trust for an outcome?
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