Faith Follows Through

Sam Stringer

Jan 28, 2025

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises

offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called,"

concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received

him in a figurative sense.”

Hebrews 11:17-19

Have you ever had your vehicle break down while you were traveling somewhere? I have, on

multiple occasions, none of which I would like to relive! I remember years ago making a trip

back from my parent’s house to college in Iowa and halfway there something went awry. I didn’t

know much about cars, but mine stopped being drivable because it wouldn’t go any more. The

engine kept running but nothing was happening, and upon further inspection, a belt had come

loose and a friend would later discover the alternator had given out. Those were the days before

cell phones were common, so being a poor college student, I sat in my car at a gas station after

making a costly collect call and waited about 8 hours for my dad and a family friend to show up

to tow me to school. As I said, a night which I would not like to relive.

Faith, like a journey, has follow-through. It isn’t simply about saying, “I trust,” but it’s also about

going to lengths in the evidencing of that faith. Faith doesn’t simply trust God can do something

at the outset, but that God will fulfill His promises all the way through. When God promised

Abram (later called Abraham) a great multitude of descendants through Isaac, Abram believed

that promise, but the story was far from over at “I believe.” How much did God test Abram’s faith

through that promise? It came when Abram was 75 and wasn’t fulfilled until he was 100.

Remember that he, at age 86, also had another son, Ishmael, with Sarai’s maidservant Hagar to

have a descendant since the promise hadn’t come yet. After the young boy Isaac grew some to

being able to assist his father in his youth, God asked (now) Abraham to go and to offer this

very son of promise on an altar as a sacrifice to God. No descendants existed yet, but God still

called on him to do this nonetheless. While the reasoning isn’t given, I must submit to you that it

would be very easy for Abraham to have loved his promised son so much that this boy, a gift of

faith, became off-limits to the God who gave him to Abraham. You and I all too often do that with

His blessings, too, don’t we?

The writer of Hebrews highlights something that Genesis doesn’t really clarify: Abraham

believed God was able to raise him (Isaac) up, even from the dead, from which he also received

him back in a figurative sense. Abraham’s faith in God was so strong that he didn’t question the

promise despite the call to sacrifice. He believed God would bring his son back from the dead,

not using some other means, because it was that very son that God said He would bless

Abraham through. The “figurative sense” refers to the foreshadowing of God putting His own

Son on the cross for our sins, and He didn’t hold back. God allowed His perfect Son to be

crucified, though He didn’t deserve the death He died; He did so to give us a life and

acceptance with the Father that we could never earn.

Hear me out today: life is going to throw you a lot of curveballs, testing whether you truly believe

God is good on His word and whether you’ll keep trusting. If you take your eyes off of Him, you

may sink, like Peter did when he became overwhelmed by the waves as he walked on water

while walking to Jesus. God tests us and refines us and cheers us on, rewarding our faith and

strengthening our confidence in Him.

Does your faith allow you to maneuver through difficult circumstances, knowing that despite

your feelings, despite the words that may be traveling through your head or the opinions of

others, you are intent on following Him? Does it give you confidence in places where you’re

going to crumble without it? God is beckoning to you and me today to trust Him again. Trust

Him. He’s good for it. Even if He calls you to give up things you trusted in Him for in the first

place, God is good for your trust. He doesn’t want you, like Abraham, to fall in love more with

His gifts than Himself. His love always has your best at heart. Trust Him, and be braver than

lions.

Sam Stringer

Faith Follows Through

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises

offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called,"

concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received

him in a figurative sense.”

Hebrews 11:17-19

Have you ever had your vehicle break down while you were traveling somewhere? I have, on

multiple occasions, none of which I would like to relive! I remember years ago making a trip

back from my parent’s house to college in Iowa and halfway there something went awry. I didn’t

know much about cars, but mine stopped being drivable because it wouldn’t go any more. The

engine kept running but nothing was happening, and upon further inspection, a belt had come

loose and a friend would later discover the alternator had given out. Those were the days before

cell phones were common, so being a poor college student, I sat in my car at a gas station after

making a costly collect call and waited about 8 hours for my dad and a family friend to show up

to tow me to school. As I said, a night which I would not like to relive.

Faith, like a journey, has follow-through. It isn’t simply about saying, “I trust,” but it’s also about

going to lengths in the evidencing of that faith. Faith doesn’t simply trust God can do something

at the outset, but that God will fulfill His promises all the way through. When God promised

Abram (later called Abraham) a great multitude of descendants through Isaac, Abram believed

that promise, but the story was far from over at “I believe.” How much did God test Abram’s faith

through that promise? It came when Abram was 75 and wasn’t fulfilled until he was 100.

Remember that he, at age 86, also had another son, Ishmael, with Sarai’s maidservant Hagar to

have a descendant since the promise hadn’t come yet. After the young boy Isaac grew some to

being able to assist his father in his youth, God asked (now) Abraham to go and to offer this

very son of promise on an altar as a sacrifice to God. No descendants existed yet, but God still

called on him to do this nonetheless. While the reasoning isn’t given, I must submit to you that it

would be very easy for Abraham to have loved his promised son so much that this boy, a gift of

faith, became off-limits to the God who gave him to Abraham. You and I all too often do that with

His blessings, too, don’t we?

The writer of Hebrews highlights something that Genesis doesn’t really clarify: Abraham

believed God was able to raise him (Isaac) up, even from the dead, from which he also received

him back in a figurative sense. Abraham’s faith in God was so strong that he didn’t question the

promise despite the call to sacrifice. He believed God would bring his son back from the dead,

not using some other means, because it was that very son that God said He would bless

Abraham through. The “figurative sense” refers to the foreshadowing of God putting His own

Son on the cross for our sins, and He didn’t hold back. God allowed His perfect Son to be

crucified, though He didn’t deserve the death He died; He did so to give us a life and

acceptance with the Father that we could never earn.

Hear me out today: life is going to throw you a lot of curveballs, testing whether you truly believe

God is good on His word and whether you’ll keep trusting. If you take your eyes off of Him, you

may sink, like Peter did when he became overwhelmed by the waves as he walked on water

while walking to Jesus. God tests us and refines us and cheers us on, rewarding our faith and

strengthening our confidence in Him.

Does your faith allow you to maneuver through difficult circumstances, knowing that despite

your feelings, despite the words that may be traveling through your head or the opinions of

others, you are intent on following Him? Does it give you confidence in places where you’re

going to crumble without it? God is beckoning to you and me today to trust Him again. Trust

Him. He’s good for it. Even if He calls you to give up things you trusted in Him for in the first

place, God is good for your trust. He doesn’t want you, like Abraham, to fall in love more with

His gifts than Himself. His love always has your best at heart. Trust Him, and be braver than

lions.

Sam Stringer

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by

permission. All rights reserved.