April 26, 2024
Scripture for today: Read Gen. 12:1-4 and Gen. 21:1-7
Abraham is considered the father of faith. This biblical patriarch was called by God to go on an incredible journey of faith. God’s call on Abraham’s life would require him to leave his home and travel hundreds of miles away to live in a new land. God promised Abraham that he and Sarah would have a son and through this offspring all the families of the earth would be blessed.
Unbeknownst to Abraham, this promise would take twenty-five years to be fulfilled. Let’s face it. Twenty-five years is a long time to wait for something to happen, especially if it is biologically time sensitive like having a baby. There are also a lot of choices both good and bad that can be made over the course of a quarter of a century.
During this time of waiting, Abraham and Sarah would experience several major life changes. These changes included a disastrous move to Egypt, acquiring a surrogate mother, engaging in armed conflict, and enduring a forced marital separation. However, through it all God remained faithful to his word. When Abraham was one hundred years old and Sarah was ninety, God’s promise came to pass and Sarah conceived and gave birth to a son whom they named Isaac. And as they say, the rest is history.
Through it all, Abraham trusted God and walked by faith because he believed that “God was able” (Heb. 11:19).
Do you believe that God is able? Are you willing to trust God for a long walk of faith? Meditate today on Heb. 11:6. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
This devotion is based on Marty McLain's book "The crown has fallen: A study of the kings of Judah."
