“By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore” ( Hebrews 11:11-12 )
It would be easy to become discouraged and hopeless in a situation like this. Abraham and Sarah waited for years hoping to have a child only to grow old without an heir. The possibility of reproduction gone with each passing year. The history of trying to conceive over and over without success would be more than enough to dash any hope for the future.
Then the Lord appeared to Abraham telling him at the same time next year Sarah would have a son. Sarah laughed as she overheard the conversation but the Lord replied to her, “Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son” ( Genesis 18:14 ). Confirming the Word he originally gave Abraham that through him he would be the father of many nations ( Genesis 12:2-3, 15:4-5 ).
Faced with a decision to believe God for the impossible, both Abraham and Sarah took the steps of faith required to conceive. Because of faith Sarah received the physical power to get pregnant although she was long past the ability to do so. The key lies in the fact that she considered God faithful who had promised a son. She chose not to consider the circumstances surrounding the situation only the guarantor of the promise.
In the same way, Abraham disregarded the fact that he was one hundred years old and that Sarah had been barren and had long since passed the age of childbearing. Instead he considered God faithful to His word and able to bring it to pass. Romans 4 gives a marvelous picture of Abraham’s faith, “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised” ( Romans 4:18-21 ).
When hope was gone, Abraham got supernatural hope to carry him through to where the promise was released. Throughout the process he started considering God, rather than the circumstance. As a result he started praising Him, giving glory, building himself up in faith, being fully persuaded that God would do what He said He would. Praising unlocked the faith needed to see the promise fulfilled. And because of it Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness ( Genesis 15:6, Romans 4:22 ).
You and I have been blessed by the faith of Abraham and Sarah. Because he believed God he became the father of many nations and the father of faith. All of those who trust in Jesus as their savior have been credited with the same righteousness that Abraham received by faith ( Romans 4:23-24 ) because they choose to believe God when the circumstances seemed impossible.
