Faith is Greater than Your Frustrations
- Bishop Keith Butler
- Apr 29, 2023
- 2 min read
Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. (Romans 4:18-19)
Abraham, the father of many nations, is a prime example of how to live by faith. Even though he was 99 years old, and his body would naturally be considered dead for procreation purposes, Abraham hoped against hope. The word against in the Greek is para; it means standing alongside or beside or near. Hope in the Greek is elpis and it means a confident expectation. Paul was saying Abraham stood with confident expectation in the promise God had given him even though he was right beside (against) the frustration of the moment. You can imagine how frustrated Abraham and Sarah must have been, believing for a child all those years. But Abraham’s faith was greater than his frustration. His hope was fueled by the Word of God and his decision to receive, believe, speak, and act on what God said.
Abraham was able to bring life to what was once considered dead when he operated on the Word of God. What do you consider dead in your life? A dream or passion God gave you? A relationship that seems to be falling apart? A body that seems to be battling symptoms of pain or a prognosis of negative reports? Take a cue from Abraham and “hope against hope."
As Christians, we should live with Abraham's kind of faith and hope. When the world sees something as “surely impossible," we can stand against it and say, “God's Word is powerful enough to transform any circumstance and situation. I choose to believe!" We follow Heaven’s way when we receive it, believe it, speak it, and act on it. We can overcome the limitations of our circumstances and bring life to what others considered impossible.
Practical Application
When you feel frustrated, find Scriptures that tell you what to believe and declare them over yourself and the situation. Don’t allow words of frustration to come out of your mouth. Only speak faith.
