Unwavering

It’s the middle of the night here in London. I’ve been back in the UK about 33 hours which means jetlag is in full swing. As I lay wide awake in bed my mind was meditating on unwavering faith, specifically the faith that Abraham had in Romans 4.

God had made a promise to Abraham, a promise that seemed impossible to keep. In fact in Romans 4:18, we read that Abraham hoped against hope. In other words, he had hope in a hopeless situation. What gave him this hope were the promises of God.

For those who are unaware, my brother Tony has been in a serious auto accident. His recovery is filled with good days and bad days, and it would be easy to find myself wavering or staggering at God’s promises. My hope must rest in that which is certain. This is what Abraham did. In Romans 4:20-21, we read that “no distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.”

If you find your hope wavering, it’s possible that it is placed in the wrong source. Abraham placed his hope in the promises of God. God does not lie nor change his mind. What are some of his promises that we can stand on in the roller-coaster of our hardships?

• God is good and he works good in our lives. The Bible tells us in Mark 10:18 that God is good and in Romans 8:28 we see that everything he does is for the good of his people. I have very limited knowledge. I am not the Lord’s counselor, so I am in no position to tell him how he should act. Some of you may remember the film, Bruce Almighty. Not having God’s wisdom and trying to play the part of God, he found that rather than doing good in people’s lives, he was harming them. This is how it is when we try to tell God what would be good in our lives. It is for us to trust his goodness.
• God is love and he works his love in our lives. The Bible tells us that God’s very character is defined by love (1 John 4:8) and that even the difficulties in our lives are actually fingerprints of his love at work (Proverbs 3:12; James 5:11). Even when I do not see the purpose in what God is doing, I can stand unwavering knowing that God loves those who trust in Christ his own.
• God is committed and he sees his work to completion in our lives. Sometimes it seems like the difficulties never end. But the reality is God sees his works through to completion. He is unlike so many of us who begin projects and never finishes them. He completes everything he starts (Philippians 1:6). Whatever work he is doing in our lives, God is positively relentless in finishing the work. He doesn’t abandon us.

If you find yourself wavering in difficulties, have you considered who your God is? Is your God faithful in his promises? If you trust in Jesus, you can stand unwavering knowing that as the Scripture says, “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).