The Father of Faith
Abraham is often referred to as the ‘Father of Faith’ in the Christian community. Have you ever stopped to wonder what the reason is for him being called the ‘Father of Faith’? He certainly wasn’t the first man to believe in God or to live a life of faithful obedience to God’s word just ask Noah and Enoch! I was inspired by the Holy Ghost to take another look at Abraham’s journey and to see just what the noteworthy things were that has etched his life as the one we should all exemplify in our own lives.
Extraordinary Faith from an Ordinary Man
We begin our journey in Genesis chapter 12. God appears to a man called Abram and tells him to pack up his belongings and journey to a land that He would show to him. He brings Abram a word of promise saying that he will make him a great nation and will bless him greatly and curse anyone who curses him. Let’s not rush over just how momentous this event was; God the creator of the universe appears to you and says I’m going to make you a promise to bless you and make you a great and mighty name in the earth and through you all the nations of the world will be blessed.
If I am Abram the first thing I’m asking is what I did to deserve this. Why was I selected for this promise? I would be freaking out wondering how I’m going to manage to get this done and not mess up! There is no mention of any outstanding feature or characteristic of Abram to indicate God’s reason for selecting him. Similarly there doesn’t need to be a great distinguishing feature about us in order for God to select us to fulfil His will and receive His promise. The beginning of this story doesn’t start out with a great man rather it starts out with a great God who desired to be good to a man who probably thought, ‘I don’t think I deserve this.’
Highs and Lows of Faith
Taking God up on His offer wasn’t easy for Abram. He was being asked to leave everything he had ever known and was familiar with to go to a land he didn’t know Hebrews 11:8. The bible says he obediently went without arguing and worships the lord showing his faith in God’s promise to him Genesis 12:7-8. The price of being obedient in faith to God’s word cost Abram something. It cost him the land he and his father settled in and his brothers and their families as well. He had to leave it all behind in order to follow God into His promised land.
Abram showed great strength and courage in his faith towards God. In verse 12 of the same chapter we find an interesting development in Abram’s story. Abram is afraid of what the Egyptians will do to him in order to get Sarai his wife for themselves so he instructs her to lie and say she is his sister. As the story progresses we realize Abram had good reason to fear the Egyptian’s desire for his wife as Pharaoh himself took her for his wife.
Let’s pause right here and look back at the promise of God to Abram in verses 2-3; God said to Abram if you go where I tell you to go I will bring you into the land of my promise and I will protect you on this journey but Abram upon facing the might of Egypt became afraid and used his own reasoning and ability to try and protect himself from harm. He forgot or doubted the promise of God for protection in a strange land. He believed in God for the land but he didn’t believe in God for protection. He didn’t believe that God is on His side and is always with him.
Does this sound familiar to your own journey with God? Do you find yourself believing God for something but doubting him in another area? This is certainly the story of my own life as a Christian there are areas I am confident and trusting in the Lord to see me through and others I’m stressed out trying to make it happen by myself.
Faithful God to Fearful sons
God remains faithful to His promise to Abram and protected him and his wife in Egypt. God sent a plague unto Pharaoh and his house. God remained faithful to perform His word in Abram’s life despite Abram’s unbelief. He didn’t have to lift a finger to defend himself from Pharaoh and his armies rather God protected him and restored his wife unto him. Abram’s strategy borne out of fear failed to protect him and his family but God showed up on his behalf and filled his need anyway.
I can imagine how Abram could have felt in that moment; angry and frustrated with himself, scared and grieving the loss of his wife, shame and guilt for not trusting God and believing in His word. God’s response to Abram was to graciously extend protection to him anyway. At this point in his journey Abram began to learn that in the highs and lows of his faith God remains constant in His presence and faithful in His word towards Abram. He learned that God is patient and forgiving in his journey of growing faith in God. In the process of life God is patiently cultivating our faith in Himself.
The growth of our faith may have ups and downs and curves as we journey day by day but God walks with us through it all. Terah in Genesis 11:26-32 had a similar legacy of faltering in his faith in God. Terah was Abram’s father and he too had decided to go on a journey into the land of Canaan but he decided to settle in the land of Haran. Our faith in God has influence on the faith of our families. The life of faith we live before God is a light that inspires others to shine their lights for God as well.
God is Faithful to see us Progress in the Process
What do we say to our failings and His nature? We accept the forgiveness of God and having our conscience sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ we press on in our journey of Faith in God 1 John1:9. Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of our faith Hebrews 12:2. God is not a task master waiting for us to fail or falter in our faith in His word. He’s not scowling in disapproval when we listen to our fears instead of trusting in His promise. He’s not judging the amount of faith you have in Him. God is your father and He is raising you His Sons and Daughters to believe in Him. He is a good father patiently and perfectly raising up His sons and daughters to believe in Him. There is no shame or condemnation for you if you falter in your faith in God so receive His grace and mercy and get up and try again Psalm 103.
The enemy would love for us to become so discouraged in unbelief and so frustrated with ourselves when we don’t ‘get it right’ that we stop believing in God and trusting in His promises towards us. If you find yourself saying ‘I don’t have enough faith’ or ‘I just can’t get this faith thing right’ those are the lies of the enemy. Faith is not a formula it’s a relationship of trust and confidence in your heavenly Father. God has partnered with each and every single one of us; His children to grow and become stronger in our faith in our Father. Take a look at Abraham’s story through Genesis 12-21 and note every time Abraham doubted God’s promise and every time God reminded him of His word Genesis 12:10-20, 15:1-6, 16:1-4, 17:1-19, 18:9-15, 20:1-13, 21:1-8. This believing God for His promise towards him was not an overnight success it is the outworking of over twenty five years; a whole lifetime!
Each time Abraham needed encouragement to believe in God His Father showed up and encouraged him. God was committed to partnering with Abraham to nurture and grow his faith in Himself.
The Father of our Faith
Abram wasn’t an extraordinary man. He wasn’t a great man of any noteworthy feature when God came to him with a promise. God chose someone ordinary so that we too can look at ourselves and see there is nothing stopping us from being used by God and receiving His promises towards us.
Abraham wasn’t a perfect man who always believed in God and had great faith before the Lord. He didn’t even perform a miracle! He had days when he believed in God and days when he doubted. He had areas where he confidently trusted in the Lord and areas where he struggled in fear. The noteworthy thing in Abraham’s life of faith isn’t a thing at all rather it’s a person: God.
Abraham became the father of faith after a lifetime where his Father nurtured his faith daily. God is the one who has called us and is raising us up to believe in Him. God is the one who is encouraging and strengthening us to trust that the God who promised is faithful to keep His promises. As a father rears his children to be confident in his ability and character as a Father even so God is raising us up to have faith in our Heavenly Father.
