What would you attempt if you knew that you would not fail? The fear of failure is something that can cripple a person from experiencing many things in life. No one likes to fail. It seems better to not attempt something at all than to fail at it. The problem with this type of thinking is that it will rob us of much in life.

What would you attempt if God works all things for the good of those who love Him? What would you do if you knew that the all-powerful God of the universe was always with you? The Bible says that both of these statements are true. We may say that we believe that these statements are true, but what do our actions say?

We are starting a new series called Faithful where we will take a look at some people in the Bible that were called faithful. These people did not let their faith remain just in their heads but allowed it to come out in their words and actions.

Abraham

We are going to start by looking at a guy named Abraham. You have probably heard of him. There have been songs that have been written about him. There’s a good reason for that as we will see from what we look at today.

Abraham was a guy who showed his faith in God by being obedient even when he didn’t know what the outcome would be. He trusted that God would be true to His word, and this made all the difference in both his life and the lives of many others. We see his story summarized in Hebrews 11. We are going to look at four ways in which Abraham believed God.

Abraham believed God when he did not know where

​By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and set out for a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents as did Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Hebrews 11:8–10 (CSB)

The author of Hebrews reminds us of when God first called Abraham to follow Him. Abraham did not even know about the Lord when this call first came to him. Abraham was raised worshipping the false gods of Babylon if any. In Genesis 12, we can see that God calls Abraham to leave everything that was familiar to him – family and friends. God tells Abraham to go to a place that He will show him.

How many of us would leave everything that we know to step into the unknown simply on the command of God? We are a people who like the details. Abraham wasn’t given the details. He was only given the directive to go. That is the way it goes in our lives sometimes.

The way that Genesis 12:4 is constructed shows that Abraham immediately obeyed. He didn’t have all the answers, but what He did have was the command of the Lord. Would that be enough for us? It should be. If we can be sure of anything, it is that God’s Word is true and reliable. It has never failed, and it never will.

Abraham believed God when he did not know how

​By faith even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age, since she considered that the one who had promised was faithful. Therefore, from one man—in fact, from one as good as dead—came offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and as innumerable as the grains of sand along the seashore.

Hebrews 11:11–12 (CSB)

Part of the promise that God made to Abraham was to give him not only a land but a legacy. This legacy would come through a child. Children are a blessing from the Lord. They can try our patience at times, but they are truly a blessing. The amazing thing about this child was that both Abraham and his wife, Sarah, were past childbearing age. They were not supposed to be able to have children, but with God nothing is impossible. Abraham had learned this lesson from his faith journey with God. There is no barrier that God cannot overcome.

We may encounter situations that are above our abilities, but there is nothing that God cannot do. How do we forget this truth so easily? It happens when we put our focus on the shifting sand of our circumstances and not on the solid rock of who Jesus is. We may not always see the how of God’s plan, but we can count on the fact that He has it covered.

Abraham believed God when he did not know when

​These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised. But they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth. Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they were thinking about where they came from, they would have had an opportunity to return. But they now desire a better place—a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Hebrews 11:13-16 (CSB)

Abraham never got to see the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise on this side of heaven. He didn’t get to have a great mansion in the Promised Land. He didn’t get to see the numerous descendants of faith that would come. Some would say that this was a waste and a broken promise.

The truth is Abraham is seeing the fulfillment of God’s promise. Verse 13 says that he saw them from a distance. This is to mean that he was seeing it with his faith sight. With every passing day and every person that enters heaven because they have trusted in the promise of God that is Jesus, Abraham meets them as well.

Our timetable does not always match up with God’s. We are tempted to place parameters on the plan. God has a greater knowledge that is perfect. He is never late. His plan always unfolds at just the right time for maximum fulfillment. We may be tempted to throw in the towel and quit on God’s plan. We would do well to use the faith sight that Abraham used in seeing God’s plan includes God’s perfect timing.

Abraham believed God when he did not know why

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He received the promises and yet he was offering his one and only son, the one to whom it had been said, Your offspring will be traced through Isaac. He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead; therefore, he received him back, figuratively speaking.

Hebrewsw 11:17-19 (CSB)

The last chapter of Abraham’s story that was shared by the author of Hebrews was one of great faith. The full details of this account are found in Genesis 22. The Bible tells us that God called for Abraham to offer up his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice. Isaac was the promised child. He was the one that was given to Abraham and Sarah when they were past their childbearing years. This was a test of faith. After all, God was asking Abraham to give up the promise that He had made to him because much of God’s promise to Abraham was tied to Isaac.

God takes no delight in the death of anyone. Death is ultimately the result of sin. God did not want Isaac to die, but He did want to know what did Abraham cherish more – the gifts or the Giver?

What about us? What do we want more – God or the things that He can give us? As one person once said, “What if you got to heaven and found the streets of gold, gates of pearl, mansions aplenty, loved ones and heroes of the faith, no sin or sickness or pain, but there was no Jesus? Would we be okay with that?” The truth is that heaven is heaven solely because of the presence of Jesus.

Hebrews 11:19 along with Genesis 22 tells us that Abraham demonstrated his faith by his willingness to do whatever God told him – even to give up the promise. Abraham knew, though not fully understanding, that God was good and would keep His word. Even if Isaac had died that day, Abraham believed God would miraculously bring him back because God will not go back on His word.

Conclusion

Abraham was a man of great faith. Was he perfect? No. There are plenty of instances that we are told about when he did things in a wrong manner, but one thing that he always came back to was his faith in God. We may not understand how God always works. But we do know enough about Him that we can place our faith in Him and trust Him even when we don’t know where He is taking us, how He is going to do it, when it is going to work out, or even the full why behind His plan. God knows that on this side of heaven that we are not going to be perfect in every part of our lives. He is asking us to place our faith in Him and be faithful each step of the journey.