A PROVEN FAITH

When we first read of Abraham, God is asking him to pack up his family and travel to an unnamed destination (see Genesis 12:1). This must have been an incredible test for Abraham, as well as for his loved ones. Yet, by faith, Abraham obeyed. He lived among strangers in strange lands—unharmed and blessed—and he was delivered from every crisis, through supernatural dreams and visions given by the Lord.

LOOK AT THE STARS

At one point, God told Abraham to behold the starry sky, saying: “Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them . . . So shall thy seed be” (Genesis 15:5). In other words: “Abraham, that’s how many children, grandchildren and descendants you are going to have. They will number as many as the stars.”

What a staggering promise! This word to Abraham was beyond the comprehension of any human being to grasp. And what was Abraham’s response to this promise? “He believed in the Lord” (15:6).

THE REWARD OF UNWAVERING TRUST

What was the result of Abraham’s faith? And what did his deep, abiding trust mean in God’s eyes? We find the answer in a single verse:

“He believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6, my italics).

Time after time Abraham put his faith in God, and he was considered righteous in the Lord’s eyes.

By the time Abraham turned 100 years old, he had endured a lifetime of tests and through everything, Scripture says, he had trusted God. And now the Lord said of this faithful, obedient man:

“I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment” (18:19).

Do you see what God Himself said of this man? He declared, “I trust Abraham. He has a proven faith.”