For God Has Said

Reading Romans 4 recently opened my eyes to a powerful truth from Hebrews 11:6: It is impossible to please God without faith. Faith pleases Him because it says, ‘I believe You, God, even when I can’t see it.’

Abraham was counted as righteous because of his faith (Romans 4:3 NLT). He believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and creates new things out of nothing. Even when there was no reason for hope, he kept hoping...For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” (Romans 4:17b, 18 (NLT).

That line stopped me: Abraham believed because God had said to him.

Abraham’s faith wasn’t based on wishful thinking but on what God had said. And doesn’t your Bible say that God is not human that He should lie, nor a human being that He should change His mind?  (Numbers 23:19 NIV). Is it not written in Isaiah 55:11 then that God watches over His Word to perform it, that it shall not return to Him void, without accomplishing that which He has purposed for it? 

Reading Romans 4 helped me see why Abraham’s faith was such a big deal. He accepted God’s Word with his whole heart. No matter what he saw in the natural, he countered it with ‘for God has said.’ It didn’t matter that his body had lost its vigor or that Sarah’s womb was barren (Romans 4:19). Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. His faith grew stronger, and in this, he brought glory to God. He was convinced that God can do whatever He promised (v21).

At that moment, I sensed a simple, explicit instruction for this season: Go back to what God has said to you. Hold on to it. Meditate on His Word, the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). That’s where your strength is.

Sometimes, we overcomplicate faith. I thought about how my son trusts me completely. He believes me when I say I’ll do something for him- no doubts or conditions. That’s the kind of child-like faith that pleases God. The Hebrews 11:1 type of faith that is sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. It’s the faith that says, ‘God, I believe You. I believe Your Word and what You have said to me.’

If you’re in a season of waiting, wondering, or discouragement, ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of what God has said. Go back to His promises. Revisit prophetic words. Reflect on His Word. And especially if you’re building something in faith, based on what God has told you, don’t come down off the wall. You have a word from the Lord. That’s more than enough.