Faith is what God treasures most in His children. James 2:23-24 says, “‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness’ … You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” This and many other similar verses say exactly the same thing – that faith is very important to God.
Abraham is the only man in the Bible who is called a friend of God. How do you think he earned this title? He wasn’t a perfect man, because twice he offered up his own wife as his sister in order to save his own neck. So why was he called a friend of God? Because Abraham was a man of faith. He was a successful farmer, but when God told him to leave everything and go to an unknown destination, he didn’t hesitate. He had faith in God’s promise to give him a son, and God finally gave him a son by the name of Isaac.
When God requested Abraham to give Isaac back, Abraham didn’t question the Lord (Gen. 22). That is complete and utter faith. God was so touched that He called Abraham His friend.
When we pray, it’s often just one-way traffic: us talking to God. But with Abraham it was a two-way street; he loved and obeyed God, and listened to His voice. He really was the father of faith. I want to encourage you to increase your faith so that God can call you His friend.
Daily Prayer: Lord, allow me to increase my faith and obedience to You in every area of life. Amen.
Daily Action: Surrender—In today’s culture of self-reliance, the word surrender has been given a bad rap. But surrender is a must for any believer who wants to walk by faith. Galatians 2:20 describes surrender this way, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
In Genesis 12, God asked Abram to leave his home and travel to a faraway place, where he would later receive as his inheritance. But what if instead of responding in faith, Abram had said, “That sounds great, God, but I have a young wife at home, and all her family and mine would be furious if we left Haran. Besides, I don’t like the idea of traveling too far in the desert. I’m getting older now—I was 75 on my last birthday. Maybe in my younger years, I could’ve pulled off an adventure like this, but the mission seems too complicated, too taxing, too risky. No, I’m afraid I’ll have to pass.”
Does Abram’s fictitious response sound absurd? How many times do we use worldly wisdom or inconvenience as an excuse to avoid surrender? Faith cannot thrive in the hostile environment of self-reliance. Only through surrender can we, like Abram, walk by faith.
When we cling to our own desires, dreams, and goals we leave no room for God’s transformative power to shape our lives. We also rob ourselves of the protection God has provided against the schemes of the enemy (James 4:7).
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