Romans 4:17-21 -- On Hope

"(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform."
Romans 4:17-21


This is an interesting excerpt which talks a little bit at the beginning about God talking about things that aren't real as though they are.

We could argue of course that whatever God says *is* real to an eternal being that is not subject to time, but the fact is, whatever the reality for God, Paul's point is very relevant to the way things seem to us. We are all in this world, and our physical senses often tell a different story than God tells us.

God tells us a story not always of what is (at least to our perception), but instead of what can be, what should be, and what absolutely will be.

God's story, or his vision, or his reality... it isn't altogether different than what we hear from earthly people... the visionary leader, the sports figure, the hero. They tell different stories, encouraging us to believe in and act on their ideas/ideals. We change our actions, and our actions change our lives, and the world around us, depending on what we believe in, what version of reality we subscribe to, and what we are willing to work to make happen.

The most important difference is that God is never wrong. His vision is true because it has always been true... he created all things and they are all working together to bring his vision to life. We might go wrong believing in the wrong leader or working towards a misunderstood ideal, but we can't go wrong supporting God's vision.

Today, let's take a page out of Abraham's book, and "against hope" (even though so often the story seems false to our physical senses), let's believe in hope, and trust our spiritual senses that help us to know that God can keep his promises, and that all is never lost as long as we have faith and work towards God's vision. The happy ending was there for Abraham, and it will also be there for us, as we refuse to give up and keep turning the pages.