Lack of Faith: learning to recognize and grow

If you’ve been in a church at one time or another we’ve all heard “Have faith like Abraham”. It’s a line that is even pointed at in Scripture when other Biblical writers point back to Abraham’s faith.

I was reading through the Old Testament and when I reached Abraham’s story, it was just like the many other times I’d read it before, however, something caught my attention. Something was different this time. While reading I noticed how Abraham first responded to God early on in his journey, and even when he wasn’t talking to God the way he lived his life didn’t exactly seem like one who was strong in faith. 

What do I mean by this? Well, not long after Abraham left his home country, so while he was still known as Abram, he was blessed by God. A great, and amazing blessing to him to have many descendants. However, famine came and Abram journeyed to Egypt where I made my first note:

11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”

Gen 12:11-13

Abram was afraid, and it was okay to be afraid, but even though he thanked God he didn’t fully have faith that both he and his wife would be ok. God protected them, yet things almost went in a bad direction because Abram hid the fact they were married. Reading further along, the Lord reassures Abram and tells him not to be afraid, a characteristic we don’t tend to put with the man we know from the Bible because the church often only emphasizes his life after his faith is at its peak. And you can see throughout Genesis how Abraham’s faith goes on a rollercoaster, up and down as time goes on. But God promised him descendants and he believed God, for a time…

17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” 

Gen 17:17

Time probably passed too slowly for Abraham. God had promised him time and time again that he would have descendants, and not only that but that they would inherit the land he had labored to live in. Yet he had no son between him and his wife. He’d hoped that Ishmael could fulfill the role, however, God had clearly stated that a son would be born to Abraham and Sarah. And that son would fulfill the role of His promise, Ishmael couldn’t be the promised one. 

It wasn’t that Abraham didn’t want to believe God, he knew God was righteous and a Being who was Holy. But doubt can easily cloud one’s mind when they only have human understanding. Abraham only could see so far and had seen the normal time pass by for his promise to be fulfilled. And yet he still stayed faithful to the Lord. Abraham didn’t stop believing in God even if he doubted him to keep this one promise. And I think this is when Abraham started to have his faith firmly strengthened. 

Time continued to pass after God told Abraham Ishmael could not fulfill His promise, but not long after, Isaac was born, proving God’s faithfulness in a way where Abraham had no reason to doubt him.

I think this is the point where we see a transition in Abraham’s life. Yes, he had faith in God enough to leave his homeland, and journey across into a foreign land, yet it was weakened by the lack of evidence for a promise he was greatly looking forward to. Yet Isaac’s birth not only brought back that faith it made it stronger.

2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” 3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 

7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

Gen 22: 2-3,7-8

What do you think Abraham’s first thought was when he heard God, the same God who promised him a child and descendants through Isaac, say to sacrifice his beloved son? Scripture doesn’t record what he thought, maybe he spent the whole night tossing and turning in confusion, but that didn’t matter. He rose the next morning (did he even sleep at all?) and obeyed. He knew what God had told him, and it would be fulfilled to the end even if he couldn’t understand how. He was certain of it by verse eight “God himself will provide.”

Reaching the end of Abraham’s story left me with a lot to think about, and I still am. But I think one of the things I took away from this is how Abraham’s faith wasn’t a sudden and holy experience. The times I’ve gone over the story before I never focused much on that because the miracles of Isaac’s birth and the provision of the a sacrifice often took my attention to realize Abraham had his faults with faith too. And it was easy to skim through those time when listening to sermons focusing on those miracles. He lacked faith many times, but God used each time to strengthen Abraham’s faith through the trials he faced. 

When we’re told to have faith like Abraham, it’s not something that can just happen, and it won’t always stay the same. However, from each of the trials we face, we can take each of those opportunities to learn to rely on and believe in God’s promise and calls on our life. We are merely simple humans who cannot see the whole picture, but we need only place our faith and trust in the God who created the whole universe and sees what the future holds for us. 

What are your thoughts on Abraham’s faith? Did you ever connect with his struggle to have complete faith or did you too often focus on the grand faith and miracles?