How Does Faith Obey and Patiently Endure?

November, 2002

by: John Richard

So how have you been doing this past month in trusting the Lord? Have you completely trusted in Him? Abraham had a faith where he completely and continually trusted in God. Abraham was a man of faith. So what can we learn from him? Abraham can teach us that faith obeys and patiently endures. The faith that he had internally produced external actions. He obeyed God and patiently endured, continually trusting in God, even though he never saw the fulfillment of the promise land.

Faith produces obedience. If a person trusts in God, then they will obey Him. This is what happened with Abraham. It states in Hebrews 11:8, that when he was called, he obeyed. The Lord had called Abraham to leave his homeland of Ur and go to the Promised Land (Genesis 12:1-3; Acts 7:2-5). Abraham, who came from a country where the people worshipped many gods (Joshua 24:2), left and obeyed the calling of the one and only God (Genesis 26:4-5). He obeyed. He had listened to the Lord and then submitted to what the Lord had told him. This is what faith produces. Faith and obedience are inseparable. If a person has faith in the Lord, he will obey the Lord. Faith is a confident trust, so if you have faith in the Lord, you will confidently trust Him. If you confidently trust Him, you will obey Him. If you don't obey Him even though you say you have faith in Him, the question has to be asked if you really trust Him. Faith produces obedience (John 3:36).

Abraham obeyed, but the nature of his obedience makes it even more astounding.

• First of all, he obeyed immediately. He began packing his bags to leave, while the Lord was telling him what to do. Do you ever do that? Do you obey the Lord instantly, when He tells you what to do in His word? Abraham did, which is why he was such a great man of faith.
• He also obeyed in spite of rewarding alternatives. The city of Ur that he was leaving was sophisticated, well designed, and wealthy. If Abraham stayed there, he would have lived a comfortable life, but he obeyed and gave up the plush life to follow God.
• The third reason his faith was so amazing was that he obeyed even though the call was incredulous. The Lord told him that he was going to give him a land that Abraham hadn't even seen yet, but Abraham believed. Furthermore, the call was incredulous, because God told Abraham that he was going to have a son. Now that might not seem that amazing, but both he and his wife were old. It is hard enough to have a child when you are young, let alone when you are 75 years of age. Abraham believed God even though the implications of the calls seemed amazing.
• The final reason that his faith was amazing was that he obeyed not even knowing what his inheritance was. He didn't actually know what his land was going to be until he got there.

Abraham obeyed immediately, he obeyed in spite of rewarding alternatives, he obeyed even though the call was incredulous, and he obeyed even though he didn't know specifically what he was going to receive. He obeyed the Lord. He trusted the Lord and His word so much that he obeyed Him. Can this be said of you? Do you obey God? Do you truly trust in Him?