Faith for the Impossible

"Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart,  'Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?'"
Genesis 17:17

Abraham is the greatest hero of faith ever written about. Of course, he is the father of the entire Jewish nation and hundreds of millions of people have named him and do name him as their father. But the reason Abraham was such a great man has nothing to do with the fact that he fathered an entire nation and culture, it is that he had the faith to believe God. He had to act on such ludicrous instructions that it literally caused him to laugh. But he did it, and history was written.
    Just think of some of the things Abraham did in response to God: He was told to leave his home and go where God would show him. He did. He was told that he would have a son at the age of over a hundred, with a wife of ninety who had been barren her entire life. They did. He was told to sacrifice that son on an altar. So he took Isaac, the son of God's promise, to the altar to kill. But God provided a lamb instead and the promise was still alive. But Abraham did everything God told him to do, even though it seemed ridiculous. This is what makes him the greatest man of faith who has ever lived.
   So I wonder about my own faith. Am I willing to do what God asks me to do, no matter how ridiculous or impossible it seems? Am I willing to completely change my way of living in favor of following God's commands? I have always thought that I could answer yes to those questions, but when it comes time to act, sometimes I do not follow through. It just seems too difficult or crazy. But nevertheless, my desire is to be like Abraham. I sense a stirring in the Spirit. It is a stirring that may require faith and obedience that I have never had to use before. Though I don't know exactly what God may require, I do know this: I am willing.
    Are you willing? If God asks you to go to a land that he will show you, will you go? If he asks you to change your career, will you obey? If he asks you to give up material possessions, will you follow through? I know these things are weighty and may even seem ridiculous to you. But God is a God of the impossible and ridiculous. These changes may look foolish to everyone around you, but ultimately you are not accountable to people, you are accountable to God. The wisdom of the world is foolishness to God. So the wisdom of God also seems foolish to the world. But it is God who made you. It is God who calls you. And it is God who will keep you through whatever he does. This is the stuff of faith. It is the essence of the faith of Abraham. It is faith for the impossible. Believe God, act on his word, and join the Faith Hall of Fame!