It is very early, and I am enjoying what would be called the night-watch, time with the Lord when everyone else is sleeping. No interesting dreams this early morning, just work concerns that caused my brain to fire up, and once that happens I am awake. However, I have learned that then sitting down to pray helps me deal with any work related stress, and often provides deep intimate times with the Lord, so I welcome these times. I will often pray and come to a place of peace again and then I am able to sleep a few more hours. Turning to the Lord always instills peace in my heart and brings my mind to rest.
So this morning I have been reading a bit in Paul's letter to the Roman's and one line in particular stood out. This is how I so often hear the Lord, just one line that grabs my attention, and causes me to stop and think, which then turns into conversation and revelation. I really do love personal prayer.
So here are the verses - Romans 4:16-24 NIV:
[16] "Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring---not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. [17] As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed---the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not."
[18] "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” [19] 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. [20] Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, [21] being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. [22] This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” [23] The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, [24] but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness---for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead."
In this chapter Paul was building a solid foundation for the Gospel of Grace, and he based much of that on Abraham, and his being called righteous due to His faith, which were shown through actions. The faith and credit of righteousness (Gen 15:6) came before the Law was ever given to Moses, and thus Paul side-steps the primary argument of the Jews, that the Law was required to achieve righteousness. His whole understanding of this concept is so critical for us, for his thinking, more than anyone else really established the Gospel of Grace. Paul was writing this during a time when the "Circumcision party" was pushing their belief that all believers must be circumcised (For more on this, read the Letter to the Galatians).
Anyway, this is not actually my main point of reflection this morning, but rather I am focused on the end of verse 17, where he wrote, "He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed---the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not." That last bit just grabbed my attention and hasn't let go! What an awesome description of the Lord - the one who gives life to the dead, and calls into being things that were not.
As I read that line and think about it over and over again, I find myself reminded of story after story of Jesus' ministry. I am reminded of His healing of the man born blind (John 9), healing of the man with the withered hand (Matt 12:13), the raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11), the raising of the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17), the feeding of the 5000 (Mark 6:35-44) and the 4000 (Matt 15:32-29), the healing of the man by the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-15), the healing of the lepers (Luke 17:10-19), the healing of blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52), and on and on! Jesus was constantly calling into being things that were not, or giving life to those who were dead, or those whose dreams were dead.
If we look at the next paragraph, Paul writes of Abraham and Sarah, who should have given up on the promise, and given into unbelief, but who continued to believe! He overlooks Abraham's efforts to make the promise come true, by impregnating Hagar, Sarah's maid (see Gen 16:1-4), which was actually Sarah's idea, but one that Abraham agreed to. Please note, this did not disqualify Abraham, even though he tried to make the promise come true through his own efforts! He believed the promise, he just couldn't understand how God was going to accomplish it!
I think this is the real point of my reflection this morning, just because we can't comprehend how God is going to fulfill His promise, doesn't mean He isn't going to keep His word. In each of the miracle stories I listed above, there is no way, in the natural sense of things, that we could make any of them occur! When faced with feeding 5000 men with a few loaves and fish, we cannot grasp how God would step up and feed them. We don't have any way to make a hand that was withered instantly restored. We can't raise anyone from the dead that has been dead for 4 days!
Specifically, in each of the healing instances, Jesus called something into being that wasn't! I imagine that for those people, there wasn't even a promise they were holding onto, as there was no hope, no medical procedure at the time that could heal any of them! Yet, the Lord had mercy on them and provided that which they could only dream about. Wow!
This gives me so much encouragement for those promises I am holding onto, ones that I know God has the ability to do! I know that He loves me, loves those I am concerned for, sees all our situations and is constantly working to bring life and healing, restoration, redemption, and salvation. He doesn't chastise us for not understanding how He will do things, and doesn't disqualify us for trying to work things out on our own, due to our lack of understanding and vision! That is such good news! He understands our human weaknesses and limitations and loves us and blesses us in spite of them!
This morning I am encouraged to turn to the only One who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that are not! I am encouraged to breath life into those forgotten dreams and promises, knowing that He is all about fulfilling every promise He ever made and ever will make! He is faithful! Yes Lord, speak Your word over my life, over my situations, over my dreams and promises that have come from You, and fulfill them in those ways that only You can do!
Amen and Amen!
May the Lord speak life, healing and restoration over you today! May His words bring to life that which hangs on by only a single thread left of hope ! May His faithful love buoy you up this day!
Sam
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