After This
[For Abraham, human reason for] hope being gone, hoped in faith that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been promised: So [numberless] shall your descendants be.
Romans 4:18 (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition)
Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].
Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified Bible)
Over the holiday break, I’ve been watching a drama series based on a true story about the formation of a popular 1990’s rap group. One scene in particular, one of the characters was reminiscing on his childhood and remembering a time when life was simple, and the world was seemingly his oyster. As he journeyed back in his mind, the hope of his past that brought light to his eyes quickly faded as he had to face his current reality. In that moment, the words he spoke rang a bell inside of me: “Hope is a lie you tell yourself to keep going.”
Hope is simply confident expectation or anticipation. That expectation can be for something good, bad or hard. Hope that springs from a whole heart is full of vigor and zeal. Hope that comes from a heart that has been crushed, is typically one that holds it’s breath waiting for the other shoe to drop. I don’t know about you, but I’ve lived a lot of life holding my breath. Disappointment after disappointment, I became trained to think like the guy in the show…it’s just a tale you tell to keep going. As I pondered the many things I am waiting on and all the ways that hope has both propelled me and crushed me, I thought about Abraham and how he waited 25 years with confident expectation for God to perform and fulfill His word to him.
God promised to make Abraham into a great nation. A great nation requires a son to carry on the legacy (Genesis 12). Challenge #1: Abraham had no children. Challenges 2 & 3: Abraham and his wife were old, and she was barren. To describe to us exactly how old they were, the Bible mentions that their bodies were as good as dead. Imagine that. A few chapters later in Genesis 15, God gave Abraham a visual as to just how expansive his legacy would be. He told Abraham to look up into the night sky and count the stars. As infinite as the stars, are just as many descendants he would eventually have. It’s important to note that prior to having children, Abraham was a very rich man. Have you ever been in a season where things were good, productive, fruitful and abundant, but there was one thing missing? The one thing you long for, but have no control over. This was Abraham’s experience. He was rich, he had family, he had abundance, he had love, but he had no children to carry on his legacy. In that culture, the number of children you had was a sign of status and wealth. The more children, specifically boys, the wealthier and more influential you were. God had prospered Abraham in every area except one – the one area that was most valuable in his day and time. The area that he likely longed for the most.
Waiting is often harder and feels longer when you are waiting on something that you long for. Abraham not only waited, but had confident expectation (for good) while doing it. As a matter of fact, his expectation was so confident that he and his wife played god (lowercase g) to speed up the process. People who lack confidence in an outcome rarely waste their time, energy, and effort to invest in what they don’t believe will happen. The way something happens is just as important (if not more) than it actually happening. Your wait has purpose and will be worth the weight.
Without hope, faith has no function. According to Hebrews 11:1, faith can be likened to the foundation of a building, and hope is the building itself. The foundation only exists to support the integrity (the divine guarantee) of the building on which it will sit. God gave Abraham a picture of the house before a brick was laid. Abraham endured 25 years of waiting. Time deteriorates the body, but Abraham didn’t allow it to touch his hope during his wait. Romans 4:18 tells us that Abraham had every human reason to throw hope out the window. According to human logic and biological facts, God’s promise to Abraham was a joke. But Abraham focused on the Holy Spirit, instead of his human logic, and truth instead of facts. What he knew that many of us struggle with is that on the other side there is glory. Abraham was fully persuaded that God was faithful and WOULD perform. Abraham’s hope was hinged on God’s character. His hope was in the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). I don’t know what you are waiting on or how long you have been waiting, but there is an after this…
Abraham waited 25 years for his promised son. Israel endured 400 years of silence as they waited in hope for the promised Messiah. There is indeed glory on the other side of the wait. My prayer is that you experience your glory in this new year of 2022.
Your wait is not in vain, and your hope is not a lie. There is glory after this.
REFLECT & RESPOND
Write a list of the things you are waiting on. Highlight which of those things were given to you by God. Pray over the highlighted items this week and ask God to increase your hope.
What has hope produced for you (good, bad or hard)?
What role has hope played in times that you have experienced fear?
How are you able to distinguish if your hope is in God, yourself or someone/something else?
What have you gained by waiting for something God spoke to/over you?
PRAY
Good and faithful God, I praise you for you are sovereign. You sit high and look low. You speak and counsel us from a place of full knowledge. You are indeed the hope of glory. I put my trust and hinge my hope in you. As you have graced us to enter into a new year, I stand in confident hope for the good that I will experience glory in 2022! I ask that you order my steps and endow me with wisdom as you open heaven and reveal your glory by way of fulfilled promises. I seek to be a good steward over all that you bless me with. Your handiwork is marvelous in my sight and I look forward to the journey.
Amen.
