Bible
How Did Abraham Hold onto God’s Promise?
This teaching is more than a sermon on God’s promises. It’s more than a talk about God’s great promises. I want to you to take a look at what Abraham did while he waited for God to fulfill the promise, He made to him.
Have you ever opened your Bible and a promise seemed to jump off the page? I mean it came so alive to you that if felt like it was written just for you? So of course, you reread the verse. It felt like God was talking to you personally and that this promise was for you.
Then because you understand the power of stewarding the Word of God, you probably opened your Prayer Journal and wrote it out long hand. Whether you typed it or wrote it isn’t the point, but you just knew this verse was so good that you just had to remember it.
Would you rather listen to this teaching?
Would you rather watch this teaching?
Don’t you just love it when God gives you a promise?
Oh, wow, I sure do.
Honestly, I do, and I don’t! Let me explain.
Any time you get a promise from God, a promise means that God’s going to do it. But between the promise and the fulfillment of the promise, there’s this gap. A waiting time.
Do you like to wait? Not me!
But then I think about Abraham. Abraham wanted a son really, really bad. When Abraham was 75 years old, that’s a long time to want something, God gave Abraham a promise that He was going to give him a son.
After he got the promise, there was a span of 25 years between the promise and the fulfillment of that promise.
How do you wait on a promise for 25 years?
I can’t imagine. I’m one of those people that I used to stand in front of my microwave and tap my foot wanting to hurry it up. I would stand there waiting impatiently, saying, “Come on, come on!” And that wait was while I warmed a cup of coffee.
But I learned something.
I learned that instead of standing there watching the microwave, I could go clean out the dishwasher or I could wipe off the counters. In Scripture, I see where God taught Abraham how he could do something that would make waiting better than just waiting. He could do something that would actually strengthen his faith while he waited.
God knew that there would be a time between the promise and the fulfillment of that promise.
And so… He gave Abram, his name when he first received God’s promise that he would give him a son. That tidbit of information is more than a sidetrack; Abram means “father” while Abraham means “father of multitudes.”
Every time someone called Abraham by his name, they were saying, “Hello, father of multitudes!” As a child of God, you have a new name; Christian…like Christ. It should remind you that you are God’s child, called to be like Christ.
God didn’t stop there.
God gave Abraham some reminders that would help him keep his eyes off the clock, no, the calendar! He waited 25 years, not 25 minutes.
Even though Abraham had to wait, his faith didn’t waver.
Romans 4:20-21 ESV “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 promised.
How? How did Abraham do it?
I can understand that after the miracle Abraham would give glory to God, but this says “he grew strong in his faith AS, during, while, he gave glory to God.
A while after God gave Abraham the promise
After Ishmael was born, God said, “Come outside. Look up. Can you count the stars? They are innumerable.
That’s how many kids I’m going to give you. I’m going to give you an innumerable number of seed, of children.”
There’s a key tucked inside God’s Promise to Abraham.
Did you see it?
A key that enabled Abraham to stay focused, enabled him to keep his eyes on God, so that he could actually partner with God through faith to see God’s promise fulfilled. His faith was critical. He had to believe God.
The key to staying focused on God was
Abraham gave glory to God.
He opened his mouth and praised God. He thanked God. I wonder if every time he looked up and saw a star, if he was reminded to open his mouth and give glory to God. He mixed the promise with faith and thanked God for His faithfulness.
When I see an American flag, I’m reminded to pray for my country and its leaders to be filled with the wisdom of God to make God directed decisions. When I see a school bus, I’m reminded to pray for educators and children to experience the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
You have been given promises too.
2 Peter 1:4 BSB Through these He has given us His precious and magnificent promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
He has given you precious and magnificent promises, but we need some reminders to we need to do what Abraham did. He gave glory to God. Get you some promises from what God has said in the Bible. Thank God. Worship God. Mix your promise with faith.
Abraham had to hold on to a promise for a long time.
Faith is still essential. Faith keeps you holding on to the promise of God.
Kind of like a fisherman holding on to a rod and reel.
He can’t see that fish before he gets it almost into his net. He knows he can feel the tug of that fish on his pole whenever it grabs his hook.
He can feel the fish on the line.
While you may not be able to see the promise with your natural eyes, you can feel the tug of that promise even before God fulfills it. You’ve got to hold on.
If that fisherman lays down his rod and reel, then he won’t land that fish. He’s got a role to play. We get to partner with God through faith to see His promise fulfilled.
For He who promised is Faithful
The same God that gave Abraham and Sarah their child is the same God that is faithful to you. He’s faithful to fulfill the promise that He’s given you.
It’s important that you see this.
Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess.” What does professed mean there?
It means to say the same thing about something.
It doesn’t say think it. Say it.
You don’t change your thoughts with words. Use your words to agree with God by saying what God says. God is always been a God of the spoken word.
Job 22:28. NKJV You will also declare a thing, And it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways.
How do you stay focused on God’s Promise to you?
You declare the promises of God.
- What is burning in your heart? Do you have a loved one that you want to see saved? Do you have someone you are praying to be healed or delivered from addictions?
- Dig in Scripture until a promise comes alive in your heart.
- Dig in Scripture until you feel the pull of a truth of God in your heart.
- Then mix it with faith as you give glory to God.
Let me share one verse that has done that in my heart. I haven’t seen any signs that anything is happening…actually I don’t see anything happening all. But I don’t have to see it believe, because I believe God.
Here’s the promise that I’m holding onto with all my might.
Isaiah 49:25 NIV But this is what the LORD says: “Yes, captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save.
What promise are you holding onto? Please comment below.