Bible News: Believing Against A Natural Sense Of Hope

August 23, 2017

“Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be” – Romans 4:18‭

It’s a fair weather today, the sun is bright enough to put some liveliness into the day without its scorching brightness. Traffic is light and the boss is cutting you some slack. What a great day it is, you conclude even before the day is over.

I wonder if Abraham had any tell-tale sign that pointed he could still father a child at age +90. Of course he didn’t, as far as we know, everything pointed otherwise for him.

So much so that the Bible recorded that Abraham had to “believe against hope”.

How do you believe against Hope? Does this mean that there is a certain hope that does not necessarily give credence to the assurance of faith?

Remember that in our first topic on hope, we mentioned that there is an element of uncertainty in the world sense of hope. We also mentioned that hope according to its usage in the new testament is “elpis” which refers to “an expectation that is sure/certain.”

So while everything on the outward that could have “boosted” Abraham’s faith told him it was not possible to father a child or for his wife to do so at their ages, Abraham forsook the world sense of hope and clung unto what the Lord had told him. It was recorded that “Against hope, Abraham believed in HOPE.”

Just like Abraham, your experiences right now may not point to the fact that there is hope but remember that hope is not a thing, it is a man. It is Jesus.

If the experience around you tell the tales of Hope, then good for you but if it doesn’t (And in most cases, it wouldn’t that the power of God may rest upon you), you are not hopeless if you choose to see through the eyes of faith. It is just time to walk on water. It is time to close your natural eyes and look unto Jesus. It is time to call those things which be not as though they were.

Think about it, what if Abraham considered his age, or the deadness of Sarah’s womb? It wouldn’t have been imputed to him for righteousness.

Now, consider this: “it was not written for his sake alone, But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” – Romans 4:22‭-‬25 KJV

– Written by Alex Amos