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Paul chose to use Father Abraham as an visual example to believers in the book of Romans. It was pointed out that Abraham believed God before he was circumcised, a physical sign of the covenant carried out by the Jews. His trust in God and his righteousness were not based on works, but on faith alone.
When looking at the timeline of Abraham’s life, it is easy to see that God took time to grow Abraham’s faith. He began a journey with God when he obeyed and traveled to a land “he did not know.” His faith continued to grow when he believed God for Who He was and for what He promised. The call to move to a foreign land was a big one for sure; however, not as big as the call to sacrifice his son on the altar. God allowed, or purposed, T.I.M.E. (Trusting In the Mystery of Eternity) to pass before making that request of Abraham. God taught Abraham about hope (assured expectation) so that he could walk on the path of “hope against hope”, that is, assurance and confidence in God on top of assurance and confidence in God. Perhaps on our journeys God is teaching us about hope as well.
“We gain the ability to rejoice under pressure through a carefully monitored training program directed by the Lord Himself. Paul described this program as a chain reaction where one phase leads to another eventually giving us the ability to experience joy despite our circumstances.” Chuck Swindoll
By the time this point of sacrifice appears on Abraham’s time line, he had walked with God for a long time. Abraham was 75 years of age when he first heard the call of God. He was approximately 122 years old when asked to sacrifice his son . . . almost fifty years later! His footing was on the firm foundation of faith. Abraham knew that if God demanded him to sacrifice his son before the promise of many descendants had been fulfilled; He must have a plan of faith to accompany his appeal. Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac because he had confidence in God and faith in what he could not see. Abraham believed the promises of God to the point that if God could allow Abraham’s son to die, then God could also raise him up from the dead. Of course, this is also a power visual – a foreshadowing of what would happen on that same mountain years later when God DID sacrifice His only son and God did raise Him up from the grave!
The Hike – a “tradition” for all Romanian camp experiences, gives a great visual of our faith journey.
Two things were invaluable to me for a successful climb:
1. The walking stick – This stick was handed to me at the foot of the mountain and proved to be necessary for every step of the way. Before I could depend on the stick; however, I had to make sure that I was placing it on solid ground. Our solid ground is the Word of God. We must be sure to step firmly on the truth of God’s Word, and then use His Word daily as our cane to hold on to on the difficult journey.
2. A walking partner – At the foot of the mountain, a few of the orphans determined to come alongside of me. They recognized “the elderly” J and had compassion on me. One orphan was very careful to help with the placement of my cane while the other stood crouched ready to catch me if I began to fall or to pull me up when the journey was too steep. What a beautiful picture of the body of Christ. God never intended for us to walk through this world alone. We cannot make it on the journey without His Word as the lamp and light for our path, and we need companions!
What promises has God made to YOU – that you must “believe God” for today?
• Do you really believe God? Do you trust God? Are you wavering?
• Are you waiting or doing? It is impossible to please God without faith (what we cannot see). Grab your walking stick and hold onto a friend, and before you know it, you will climb that mountain with joy experiencing hope against hope!
“In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, "SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE." Romans 4:18
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