What joy and overwhelming peace come when the Lord makes His simple truths clear to us. Abram’s story occurs before the law, before the rules and regulations, and before the set patterns of behavior for the Hebrew people. Yet from the moment he believed, God called him righteous; all was made right between Abram and God when Abram believed God.

Imagine bringing this thought forward into our lives! We stand as Abram did, but we are the fulfillment of the promises given to Abram. We simply have to do what our father Abraham did. We believe, and we are called righteous. 

However, it may be difficult to resist the list of regulations and requirements upon which we depend. We struggle with “just believing.”

Believing produces a wealth of confidence that changes our reactions and behaviors toward difficult circumstances of life. Believing relaxes the inner self to fully rely on the Lord and His promises. God says “Do not worry, do not be afraid.” He assures us that He can be trusted.

Abram believed God would protect him and provide for him and make him the father of many nations, which led to Abram’s obedience. In the middle of tremendous uncertainty and trying pain, the promises of God are incredibly bold! Believing as Abram did is an intense and constant test of spiritual strength. Absolute trust in the Lord may appear irrational to the outside world.

We are called to be children of our heavenly Father, and Jesus taught that believing is something that children are especially good at it. May we all be of childlike faith as we believe and trust in the bold promises of our Lord.

Prayer for the week:

Dearest Lord, I praise You that my righteousness begins simply by believing. Thank you for teaching me again and again that believing in You and Your promises changes my thoughts and attitudes in every way. Today, Lord, I recommit to believing You and trust in Your righteousness to flow through me. Amen.

Anna Derbyshire is a pastor’s wife living in Fort Worth, Texas, USA, and has written curriculum for The Foundry Publishing.

Written for devotions with Holiness Today.

Please note: All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of original publication but may have since changed.