Yet I Will Praise You: The Life of Abraham
History bears witness to the many men and women who have gone before us in choosing to praise God in spite of the great suffering they endured. We can learn much from their testimonies of faithfulness and perseverance in the midst of grief and pain. In this series, we share about the trials others have endured, and of their commitment to praise God from the valley.
“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”
-Hebrews 11:8-10
Not much is known about Abraham’s early life except that he was living in close proximity to his family in the land of Ur. But when Abraham was 75 years old, his whole life changed:
“The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people
and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you;I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing…”
-Genesis 12:1-2
God was calling Abraham to leave everything that was familiar to him and travel to a land that he did not know. He knew that his decision to follow the Lord would be a costly one. Can you envision yourself in Abraham’s shoes? Being asked to leave everything you knew? But Abraham chose to obey God in faith. He packed up his belongings, and along with his wife, Sarah, and nephew, Lot, traveled to live as a foreigner in the land of Canaan.
When he arrived in Canaan, the land was suffering under a famine (Genesis 12:10), twice, his wife was taken from him to become the wife of a foreign ruler (Genesis 12:15, Genesis 20:2), he battled against the armies of five kings when his nephew was taken as a prisoner of war, and he and Lot decide to part ways when their herdsmen begin to quarrel with one another after continually living in such close proximity (Genesis 13:8-12).
After they had parted, the Lord spoke to Abraham again:
“Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”
-Genesis 13:14-17
Now, we need to remind ourselves that at this time Abraham is living as a foreigner in the land that God had promised to give to his offspring forever. And Abraham had no offspring. Sarah had been unable to conceive for all these years. Can you imagine the pain and discouragement? Decades of waiting, hoping, longing.
Abraham responded, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless?” (Genesis 15:2).
Can you resonate with that feeling? In the absence of your beloved child, there are times when it can seem impossible to rely on the promises of the Lord; impossible that good will ever come to you.
But the Lord took Abraham outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then He said to him, “So shall your offspring be” (Genesis 15:5).
But Sarah remained barren. So Abraham took matters in his own hands. Rather than waiting on God to fulfill His promise, Abraham chose to have a child with his wife’s servant.
And we do the same thing, don’t we? We grow impatient while waiting for the Lord to act, or foolishly believe that we can accomplish His purposes better than He could. So we take matters into our own hands. We stray from what God has called us to do in an attempt to secure His promises in our own terms. Doing this will only heap sorrow onto that which we already bear.
But even though he did indeed now have an offspring, this act of straying away from God’s perfect plan caused much strife in his marriage. Eventually, he sent the servant, Hagar, and his son, Ishmael, away because of the enmity their presence was causing with his wife. Once more, God had to remind Abraham of the promise He had made to him:
“Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.”
-Genesis 17:19
Thirteen more long years pass. Still no child. But listen to what Paul tells us about Abraham’s faith:
“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 4:19-21
He was fully persuade that God had power to do what He had promised. Abraham chose to rely on the promises of God, even when he could not see the fulfillment of those promises. Finally, when Abraham was 99 years old, God promised that Sarah would become pregnant and give birth to a son by that time next year. Sarah laugh at the thought. So many heart-wrenching years of trying to conceive had passed by, and she was already past the age of child-bearing.
But God responded to her by asking a question:
“Is anything too hard for the LORD?”
-Genesis 18:14
All too often I need to be reminded of the immeasurable power of our God. Even when we cannot see the whole picture, even when His promises seem impossible to fulfill, even when we have journeyed through year after year of heart ache and sorrow, we must believe that nothing is too hard for Him to accomplish.
There will certainly be days where we encounter fear and uncertainty, but dear one, we must remember God’s faithfulness. Record the ways that you have seen the faithfulness of God demonstrated in your life and in the lives of those around you, saturate yourself in what Scripture tells us is true and unchanging of God, and anchor your heart in the truth that His faithfulness remains steadfast for all eternity.
His faithfulness to you doesn’t mean that all things will turn out as you desire them to. It doesn’t mean every prayer will be answered how you desire, and that everything will happen as you planned. But it does mean that in God’s steadfast love and goodness, He will work all things together as He knows will be for your ultimate, eternal good (Romans 8:28).
Abraham and Sarah did indeed have a son the following year. But the story doesn’t end here. Several years later, God asked Abraham to do what I think must be the most difficult thing for a parent to even think of.
“Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
-Genesis 22:2
After years and years of waiting to see the fulfillment of God’s promise, Abraham was asked to give up his son. The Bible tells us that early the very next morning he arose, packed up what he would need to follow the Lord’s instructions, and led his son, Isaac to the place God had told him to go. He obeyed God without delay.
“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.”
-Hebrews 11:17-19
God stopped Abraham before he had sacrificed his son, and provided a ram to be used as an offering instead. This test of Abraham’s faith was proof that as much as he loved his beloved son, he esteemed God even more. He was able to offer his son on the altar because he was fully confident in God’s promise to make him a great nation through Isaac.
This, brave sister, is the key to having faith in the midst of great suffering. Consider that God is able. This is how you can choose to praise the Lord no matter what you are going through.
At times it seems as though the more we walk through sorrow and loss the more our trust in the Lord waivers. But God answered the doubts and fears we face in a covenant far more profound than the one He made with Abraham. In His covenant with us, He went as far as sending His own Son to be the sacrifice for us. There is nothing that He won’t endure in order for His faithfulness to triumph!
Will you let your heart be held fast by this tremendous expression of His great faithfulness to you. God gave His Son for you. Jesus endured the pain and shame of the cross for you. You never have to wonder if He will come through for you. Rest confident and assured that He will keep His promises, and then you will be able to praise Him through this storm.
- Ashlee
Hope Mom to Simeon and Odelle
Ashlee is the Editorial Coordinator for Hope Mommies and author of I AM (Hope Mommies, 2017) and Identity (Hope Mommies, 2018). She and her husband, Jesse, live in Milwaukee with their children—five on earth and two in heaven.
Are you a writer who would like to join the blog team? Learn more and apply here.
Got something to say?