Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. 

- Hebrews 11:1-3

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, “as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.”

- Hebrews 11:8-12

By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, of whom he had been told, “It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you.” He considered the fact that God is able even to raise someone from the dead—and figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. 

- Hebrews 11:17-19

As I drove to work this morning I heard a tragic story on the radio. After his wife left, a man suddenly found himself alone picking up the pieces, caring for two young boys and moving forward. He cried out to God for help, but when he saw no evidence of God answering his prayers, he lost faith. As his bitterness and pain and anger with God grew, he concluded that God does not exist and he stopped praying and he was no longer angry with God, only at himself for having believed that sort of fantasy.  

The man believed enough to cry out to God, but then he lost faith. We each experience times when our faith is tested. Storms will blow. The question is not whether they will come, but how will we respond? How strong is our faith? How deep are our roots?

God’s holy word tells us, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1) and “faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). It is by faith in God’s holy word that we believe with complete certainty that God is who He claims to be, that His word is true, that He is all powerful, that He is love, that He loves us, and that He hears and listens to and responds to our prayers.  

We know all this, but at times we pray and we see no response. At times our faith is tested because our connection with God has faded like a poor cellphone signal and it feels as if our prayers go unheard, as if the ceiling is blocking their transmission, and we feel distant from God. In times like this, how will we respond? Scripture is loaded with examples of people suffering, enduring trials, waiting on God, feeling distant from God, crying out to God and growing in faith as they wait. David cries out to God, 

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest” (Psalm 22:1-2).  

By the end of the psalm we see that his faith grew through the process. Even Jesus Christ felt distant from God, quoting God’s holy word penned by David at Psalm 22:1 while hanging on the cross, but He trusted God’s promises. Job suffered through torment but after it all he said to God, “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see you” (Job 42:5). His relationship with God and his faith grew through the process.

Sometimes our faith is tested while we wait on God. We grow impatient. We want things to happen according to our schedule, fulfilling our expectations, accomplishing our plans. But God sees all, knows all, loves each of us, and is implementing the perfect plan in His perfect time. Abram (aka Abraham) heard God. God promised Abram saying, 

“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:2-3).  

What an amazing promise! In response, Abram packed up and headed out and when he reached Canaan God told him this was the land God would give his descendants (see Genesis 12:7), but there were problems – Abram was 75 years old with no children and the land of Canaan was suffering famine. So he and his family left for a while. They went to Egypt to wait out the famine and later returned. Twenty-four years later, Abram was 99, he still lived in a tent and his wife had never conceived a child. When God asked Abram to follow Him, Abram packed up and followed, and then he waited and waited and when he was 100 years old, his son Isaac was born.

Finally, after waiting a long, long time, Abram (now Abraham) had a son and God’s promise to make him “into a great nation” seemed within the realm of possibility; yet, some time later, when Isaac was old enough to travel a distance with his father and ask questions about sacrifice (see Genesis 22:1-19), God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice Isaac. And Abraham obeyed. Abraham was faithful. After years of waiting, trusting God, knowing that God is faithful and true, God sent Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, and Abraham obeyed and just before Abraham plunged his knife into Isaac, God called off the horrific mission and provided a ram instead. As to Abraham, he put aside everything else – his personal hopes and dreams, his love for his son, his desire to have a family – and followed God, trusted God and believed God above all else. Possibly he trusted that God would raise Isaac from the dead or perform some other miracle, we do not know, but we know Abraham placed all his trust and confidence and hope in the Lord God Almighty.

We also know that ultimately, God fulfills His promises. He is faithful. His faith endures even when ours falters. But He does so in His time, not ours. If you have been crying out to God but you do not see evidence of His response and He feels distant from you, please know that He is with you, He hears your prayers, He loves you, and His promises are true.

What storm is blowing through your life? May it strengthen your faith, may it force your roots deeper into God’s holy word, deeper into prayer, deeper into the Holy Spirit, may your relationship with Christ Jesus grow, may you weather the storm and use the experience to serve God in new and glorious ways.