Romans 4:18-21

Passage

Against hope he believed upon hope in order that he would become the father of many nations according to what has been said, “In such a manner your offspring will be.”  And after not being weak, by faithfulness he correctly perceived that his own body has been ceasing to function – while being about a hundred years old – as well as that Sarah’s womb was barren.  And he did not waver by unbelief in the promise of God, but he was being strengthened by faithfulness after giving glory to God after being completely certain that He is able to even do what He has promised.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

I love the expression that Paul uses to open this passage.  “Against hope he believed upon hope.”  This is the expression of Christianity.  We as Christians believe fully that we deserve nothing.  In fact, if we are honest with the hard parts of Romans that we’ve been studying so far we must acknowledge that we deserve wrath.  We cannot obtain salvation through our own effort.  So while on one hand we have no reason to hope, we still hope.  Against hope, we hope.  We hope not in what we can accomplish but in what God can accomplish in us.

Have you ever had a time where you were so filled with hopelessness that the only hope you had was the hope of God?  How can this place be a difficult place to be?  How can this place be exactly where God needs us to be?

Second Thought:

Here is the reason that Abraham had no hope.  He was a hundred years old.  For all intents and purposes, his body had ceased to function.  To put it bluntly, there was no way that his hundred year old body was going to be able to impregnate Sarah.  His time of virility had passed.  He literally had no hope of offspring.  His only hope was God’s ability to bring life to his body that had ceased to function.

What – or perhaps who – do you think gave Abraham the ability to hope?  Even in this story, how can we see that it is God’s work within Abraham that is credited to Abraham?

Third Thought:

Abraham is strengthened by faithfulness.  In his moment of absolute despair – when he knew that his body could not function on its own internal working – Abraham found strength only in God.  When Abraham was reduced to the point of being unable to rely on himself, God enters into his life and works through him.  Abraham is strengthened in his moment of weakness.  It is not when we are strong that God is strong in us.  It is when we are weak and humble and broken that God is strong in us.

Do you believe this to be true?  If this is true, then why do we as followers of Christ still try to avoid moments of weakness?  Why do we have an aversion to weakness if that is when God is at His strongest within us?  How can moments of weakness be so great and so frustrating at the same time?

Passage for Tomorrow: Romans 4:22-25