Faith that gets God's attention - Part 1

What is faith?

'Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see' - Heb 11:1

Why do we need faith?

'And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him' - Heb 11:6
'Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls' - I Peter 1: 8,9.

In the context of the verses above, faith is belief in the existence of God without actually seeing Him. Unless you have faith, you cannot please Him or expect to receive anything from Him. Faith connects you to God whom you cannot see. Even though he is invisible to you, yet you can have a real love for Him, experience unspeakable joy; these are tangible proofs of eternal salvation which is yours by faith.

In Hebrews 11, we read the account of a few ancients who impressed God with their life of faith and obedience to Him. You see, our works do not impress God the way faith does. The writer of Hebrews commends several individuals who impressed God with their life of faith and obedience (chapter 11) and it is them we turn to in order to understand the kind of faith that gets God's attention and earns His approval.

Abraham (formerly Abram) was one such person who heard the call of God at age 75. Genesis records his experiences in detail. His life turned out to be most eventful eventually leading to the birth of a nation from which Jesus the Messiah would come. We can learn many important lessons, particularly about faith, simply by tracing the different milestones of Abram's journey.

Who is Abram?

Read Genesis 11: 27 – 32; Joshua 24:2, Acts 7: 2

Abram's father, Tehrah, was an idol worshiper who lived in the Ur of the Chaldeans. He had 3 sons: Abram, Nahor and Haran. When his son Haran died, Tehrah took Abram, his daughter in law Sarai and his grandson Lot (Haran's son) and set out for Canaan. But when he came to Harran, he settled there where he remained until his death. 

The Call of Abram

God calls Abram and promises him an amazing destiny. Read Gen 12: 1-3. God's promise can be summarized in the following way.

1. LAND - Go to the land I will show you
2. DESCENDANTS - I will make you into a great nation
3. BE BLESSED - I will bless you, make your name great
4. BE A BLESSING - You will be a blessing, I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

                               

Lesson #1  Faith takes God at His Word.

Gen 12: 4 -5 Abram believes God and uproots his family, livestock, servants and everything he owns and sets out to Canaan. In obedience to God, Abram leaves the comforts of his father's home, his country and everything familiar to him even though he isn't really sure where he is heading - 'By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going' Heb. 11:8.

Lesson #2  Faith cooperates with God.

Gen 12: 6 – 8 Abram arrives at Canaan. God appears to him and says, "To your offspring I will give this land". Abram reciprocates by building an altar to God. It is not clear why he did this. Perhaps it was an act of worship or surrender. Or to ask God for guidance. Whatever his motive, it appears Abram wanted to commemorate the moment with an altar. Again along the way, he builds another one between Bethel and Ai where he calls upon the name of the Lord.

When we call upon God, we are saying we can't make it on our own. We realize our limitations and surrender to the One who is greater than us to lead us, guide us and keep us on the right path. ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths'  - Prov 3:5-6 NKJV

Lesson #3  Faith is NOT fearful.

Gen 12: 10 – 20. Abram flees to Egypt to escape famine. But he fears the Egyptians will kill him to have Sarai because she is very beautiful.  So he pretends that Sarai is his sister and urges her to do the same. His fears come true. Pharaoh is smitten and takes Sarai into his palace with the view to make her his wife. He rewards Abram with many gifts. But God plagues the royal family with serious diseases. Pharaoh discovers Abram's deceit and ejects him from Egypt in disgrace. Abram retraces his steps and finds the 1st altar he had built and once more calls on the name of the Lord.

When our decisions and actions are motivated by fear, they only lead us away from God's purpose. Just like Abram, we need to yield ourselves to Him again. 'Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe' - Prov 29:25 NIV; 'For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind' - 2 Tim 1:7 NKJV

                                               

Lesson #4  Faith doesn’t trust what it sees.

Gen 13: 8 – 17 As long as Abram and Lot stay together, there isn't enough space to contain their possessions and livestock for they are great. There are constant clashes and misunderstandings between their servants, so Abram and Lot agree to part ways. Abram allows Lot to choose his dwelling. Lot surveys the land and settles for the well watered plains of Jordan. Unknown to Lot, he has chosen a path that will eventually lead him to Sodom and Gomorrah, two accursed cities ripe for God's judgement. Lot leaves but God comes to Abram and tells him to take in the length and breadth of the vast land, for God was giving it to him and his descendants. Abram pitches his tent in Hebron and marks the moment with another altar.

Two men looked at the land before them, but only one saw with eyes of faith. It's tempting to trust our own judgement at times but keep in mind that as believers, 'We walk by faith, not by sight' - 2 Cor. 5:7 NKJV

                               

Lesson #5 Faith looks to God for provision. 

Gen 14 Lot is caught in the middle of  a revolt. Five kings including the King of Sodom refuse to pay tribute to Kedorlaomer king of Elam, so he assembles his allies and attacks the rebel kings, seizing their goods and food. Lot is taken captive along with the other men and women.  When Abram hears the news, he gathers a small army of trained men and sets out on a rescue operation. The mission is a success and he recovers the stolen goods as well as the captives. The King of Sodom is grateful and allows Abram to keep the goods. But Abram declines the king’s reward, refusing to accept even a shoelace lest the king takes credit for blessing Abram and making him rich.

Abram resolved within himself that he would not rely on man to provide for his needs. 'I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread' Psalm 37: 25

Lesson #6  Faith grows with first hand revelation.

Gen 14: 22 – 24 Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God most High, brings bread and wine, and blesses Abram in the name of God, Maker of Heaven and Earth. Abram pays him a tribute - a tenth of all his possessions. The writer of Hebrews says, Melchizedek's name means king of righteousness and peace; that he has no genealogy, resembles the Son of God and remains a priest eternally - Heb 7:1-3. Abram pays allegiance to the heavenly king and rejects the favours of the earthly kings. Abram's declaration comes with the revelation of Melchizedek who is a type of the Holy Spirit.

It is easy to trust someone once you get to know them. In the same way, faith increases when we know who God is. But the best kind of knowledge doesn't come from textbooks or pulpits but by  first hand revelation by the Holy Spirit! Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.- Matt 16: 16-17; 'All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He (Holy Spirit) will take of Mine and declare it to you' - John 16: 15 ; 'For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ' - Galatians 1:12.


To be continued..