40 Days of Faith: Day 19

Hebrews 11:19 – He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

As a nine-year-old boy, I experienced God’s gracious healing hand. Hospitalized and in the ICU, unable to keep food down and reeling from pneumonia, I remember that my dad asked the elders of the church to come and pray over me. After that time of prayer, I sat up in my bed and asked for an ice cream sandwich. It was the first time in about ten days that I was able to hold food down and it was the turning point for my health. Ten years later, I ran into my family physician while I was waiting tables at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen and he said to me, “Roger, I still remember how God healed you.”

Yesterday, we talked about obedience even if it didn’t make sense. Today, we get a glimpse into the mind of Abraham, as the writer of Hebrews tell us that Abraham logically concluded that he could offer his son for a sacrifice because he believed that God could raise him from the dead.

Do you believe that God still does miracles? Can He still move mountains? Does He still heal? In other words, is God able?

In the Scripture, God’s ability to do the miraculous is on nearly every page. It seems that only in the age of modernity and post modernity that we have lost the view of God’s ability to do the miraculous.

You may be able to reason that God can do the miraculous if He wants, but because of your experience, you are skeptical that He will. You just don’t see it happening, or what you do see is such a spectacle that you aren’t sure what to believe.

I want to spend a minute with Jesus when he was in his hometown. At the end of Matthew 13, in verses 53-58, we see these words:
And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” 58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

Notice the commentary about what happened in Nazareth. It says that, “…he did not do many works there because of their unbelief.”  

Can it be that Jesus works in our lives according to our faith? Can it be that those of little faith see little movement from our Lord and those of big faith see big movement from our Lord? The collective faith of this town was basically non-existent because they knew him when he was young. Further, they also knew his family, and their logic just couldn’t handle the carpenter’s son being so profound.

What about our collective faith? When we come to worship, are we coming to simply learn lessons about our Lord, or are we coming together collectively, expecting to see our Lord move in our lives, in our homes, in our marriages, and in our church family? Do we believe together that He can use us to reach our city with the gospel? Do we have probability thinking that says, “Probably not!” Or do we have possibility thinking that asks, “What if?” Is our collective faith expectant?

Abraham was expectant. He didn’t know exactly what to expect, but as he and Isaac walked to the offering site in Genesis 22, Isaac asked his father where the animal was that would be sacrificed. Abraham’s response was one of expectancy. He said, “The Lord himself will provide the lamb.”

Look at what Peterson says of this moment and Abraham’s expectant faith in God’s ability to do the miraculous. He states:
“Since God had specifically declared that his offspring would be reckoned through Isaac (Gn. 21:12), there seemed to be no hope if Isaac died. However, Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead. He expected to return from the place of sacrifice with Isaac (Gn. 22:5) because he knew that the fulfilment of God’s purposes depended on Isaac’s survival. He trusted that God would resolve the problem.”[1]

My friend, do you trust that God will resolve the problems you are facing? Abraham’s faith reminds me that trusting God’s ability is not wishful thinking—it is confidence that He will always remain true to His word, even when circumstances scream otherwise. Abraham believed God could raise Isaac from the dead, because he knew God’s promise rested on Isaac’s life. In the same way, I must decide if I will live with probability thinking—calculating the odds—or with possibility thinking—trusting that with God, all things are possible. The God who healed me as a nine-year-old boy is still able to move mountains, heal brokenness, and bring life where there is death. Today, I invite you to believe not only that God can act, but that He is willing and faithful to act for His glory and your good. Bring Him your impossible situation, and trust that He is able.

Prayer:
Almighty God, I praise You because nothing is too hard for You. Forgive me for the times I have doubted Your power or limited You by my unbelief. Today I choose to place my trust in Your ability to heal, to provide, to restore, and to redeem. Teach me to live with expectant faith, believing that You can do abundantly more than all I ask or imagine. Strengthen my heart so that I walk in possibility thinking, knowing You are always faithful to Your promises. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

  [1] Peterson, D. G. (1994). Hebrews. In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.), New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., pp. 1347–1348). Inter-Varsity Press.