Well, the Lord did it again! He gave me another one of those aha moments - a moment etched in time that was clearly from Him. A couple of days ago, in the midst of some fiery trials - and when I say “some” I am saying that when it rained it was pouring - the Lord brought a passage of Scripture to mind. He does this often, but His timing couldn’t have been more perfect. My faith was challenged on every front and I was praying “Lord help my unbelief.” In those moments, He brought Abraham to mind and specifically Romans 4:18 “In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken.” When those words came to my mind, I turned to my Bible and read them again and again. I said, “Lord, that’s what I need - a hope against hope belief!” Yesterday, I looked up Romans 4:18 in numerous translations and paraphrases. They were all good - especially the Message, Williams, and Phillips.

The Message reads like this: “When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn’t do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples.” I like that because sometimes everything seems hopeless and there doesn’t appear to be a way out. We are weak and inadequate for the mountain of obstacles. But no mountain is too great for God. Where do we find such hope and promise? In God’s Word. We must look not at the mountain but at our Maker - He is majestic and great and glorious - more than enough for the mountain. He always has a way - either He moves the mountain or takes us through (up and over it). Then, I liked Phillips - “Abraham, when hope was dead within him, went on hoping in faith, believing that he would become ‘the father of many nations.’ He relied on the word of God…” Here we see the secret - relying on the word of God - that’s the secret to “hoping in faith”. And then, the Williams Translation: “Abraham, building on hope in spite of hopeless circumstances, had faith, and so he actually became the father of many nations, just as it had been told him.” I like these words, because in them I am helped to understand that our faith has BIG results - the fruition of the promise from God in our lives. BIG promises require BIG faith. Hold to the promises of God, dear friend. Build on them and you will see something great and mighty happen as a result.

Well, my God moment didn’t stop there. This morning, I opened Streams In The Desert, and what verse do you think was the subject of the whole devotional? You guessed it - Romans 4:18. I thought, “Lord, really! Okay, I am just blown away now. It’s You Lord, isn’t it!!!” So, I turned to Romans 4:18 and read it again, preparing for what I would read in Streams.” Today’s devotion began with a story about a man that came to George Mueller and asked him about the best way to have strong faith. Here was Mueller’s response: “The only way,” replied Mueller, “to learn strong faith is to endure great trials. I have learned my faith by standing firm amid severe testings.” “Great faith must have great trials” - this is something a person can only learn in the school of faith. As I read Mrs. Charles Cowman’s words (author of Streams In The Desert), I realized, “The Lord has me in His school of faith. He is training my faith.” When Abraham believed with a “hope against hope” kind of faith, he became the father of many nations. God’s BIG plan required a BIG faith and “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6).

So, here’s the encouragement - if we are going through a fiery trial, then our circumstance, whatever it may be, requires a firm faith, and will result in fantastic fruit! Hold to God’s firm foundations, stand on those promises, build your life on them, and you will never be disappointed.

My Response: Lord, I’m holding my hands in the air to You, offering up a bouquet of thanksgiving and worship today. Thank you for Your steadfast encouragement personally to me. And thank You for teaching me in the school of faith. Strengthen my faith today Lord and give me an Abraham kind of faith - a hope against hope belief. In Jesus’ name, Amen.