18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. -Romans 4:18-25
God promised Abraham that he would be the “father of nations.” One problem though, Abraham’s wife Sarah couldn’t have children. She was barren. In the midst of this impossible obstacle, Abraham trusted God. His trust wasn’t perfect. His faith wasn’t perfect. But the obstacle to Abraham’s faith strengthened his faith. That’s the paradox of spiritual trials—they seem like they exist to hurt us but in turn they make us stronger.
Like many, during this pandemic, I’ve been exercising and working out quite a bit. When you lift weights, it actually tears apart your muscles and damages them. It looks like destruction. But that destruction brings about healing that actually makes the muscles stronger and bigger.
This is just like faith. When there are obstacles to our faith, those obstacles actually help to make our faith stronger because we need to use faith.
Are you facing obstacles to your faith right now? May you see them as opportunities for your faith to grow!
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