Have you come to the end of your rope? Are you at the bottom of the pit and can’t get out? How desperate are you? Is everything in your life hopeless? Consider hope today: what are you believing in today? What are you believing for? Where is your hope?
Paul writes about Abraham’s hope in Romans 4:18-22. “In hope he (Abraham) believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was ‘counted to him as righteousness.’” Abraham was about 100 years old, and his wife, Sarah, was about 90. They were well beyond having their own children, but God promised, “You will have a son. You will have as many children as there are stars in the sky.” Are you kidding me? No way! Impossible!
What impossible things are you believing God for this season? Alice didn’t believe. “Alice laughed. ‘There’s no use trying,’ she said. ‘One can’t believe impossible things.’ ‘I daresay you haven’t had much practice,’ said the Queen. ‘When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” Abraham believed “in hope against hope.” That’s a funny statement; how does one have hope and believe against hope? It’s because he didn’t believe in reality (his old age); he believed in the promise of God. And as he believed, he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God. He was fully convinced that God was able to do what He promised. Abraham didn’t believe in his own squishy and wavering faith, but he believed in God’s word alone. He believed in His promises and didn’t swerve or wander from that. Faith and hope based on God’s promises will come true, and God will be glorified.
You are in a tough situation today. Believe in “hope against hope” for what God has promised. What has God promised you? “I forgive you your sins, through Jesus’ death and resurrection, if you believe in Him (Romans 1:16-17). All things (even the hard times) will work together for your good (Romans 8:28) and I will comfort you when times are hard (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Come to me and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30). I bless you with every spiritual blessing in heaven (Ephesians 1:3), and I will be with you always, even in the hard times (John 14:3, Matthew 28:20).” You can hope against hope today. Hope in God.