What If God’s Promises Seem Impossible? (Hebrews 11:17–19)

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, ¹⁸ of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall your seed be called: ¹⁹ reasoning that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead;

Hebrews 11:17-19

What happens to our faith when we doubt God’s promises? Since they are the foundation of our beliefs, it’s only natural that any misgivings cause our faith to come crashing down in one big bang. Because of the fallen nature of the world we live in, it sometimes seems that God doesn’t keep his word. How should we respond? Let’s look at the example of Abraham.

First, let me briefly remind you of his story. God promised Abraham not only a son but also a nation of descendants who would eventually bless the whole world (later revealed to be through the Messiah, Jesus). Abraham and his wife, Sarah, waited twenty-five long years until they were so old that pregnancy was physically impossible. Only then did the promise come true, and Isaac was born. 

So you can imagine Abraham’s shock when God ordered him to sacrifice his son. Beyond the sheer horror and heartbreak he must have felt at the thought of killing his beloved child, he knew he would be putting God’s promise to death as well. How could he have a nation of descendants without a son?

Have you ever thought that a promise of God was dead? Maybe you experienced something contrary to what the Bible describes and, as a result, doubted the Lord’s words. There are many reasons it may seem that God’s promises are no longer valid, not the least of which is Satan. He’s doing everything in his power to make God out to be a liar.

So why was Abraham able to immediately set out to obey God’s command? In his place, I would have argued with the Lord and delayed the inevitable as long as possible. But not Abraham, and for a simple reason: he believed God’s promise. In fact, he reasoned Isaac couldn’t stay dead for long, even if he did die. After all, he had descendants to produce.

The text describes Abraham as “receiving” God’s promises. That Greek word means “to welcome, to entertain hospitably,” suggesting he accepted God’s promises as trustworthy, which later helped him overcome any doubts he may have had. As a result, the idea that the Lord could raise someone from the dead didn’t seem so crazy—he knew God well enough to recognize that nothing could stop him from keeping his word.

Let’s fast-forward to the present and consider a promise many people doubt: God has defeated evil. When we look at the world around us, it certainly doesn’t seem that way, does it? The news is full of stories of war, corruption, genocide, human trafficking, oppression, and environmental destruction, not to mention your “garden-variety” murders and rapes.

But what we see doesn’t tell the whole story. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God has already conquered evil, though its complete destruction remains a future event—when Christ returns. Until then, God is hard at work in individuals, transforming the hearts of his followers so they can overcome the evil in their thoughts and impulses. As much as we would like him to act more decisively, he has reasons to be more discreet—I suspect human freedom plays a major role. Nonetheless, that doesn’t change the fact that evil’s days are numbered. 

Like Abraham, we sometimes face the same choice: believe what we see or trust what God has said. Abraham’s actions—and the history that followed—encourage us to recognize that faith is always the right decision.

Whenever circumstances lead us to doubt one of God’s promises, let’s remember Abraham’s example. He didn’t trust appearances but held unswervingly to the Lord’s oath. Although he didn’t live long enough to see the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise (the nation of Israel and the Messiah’s coming), he returned home with his son alive and well, having received him back from the dead in a figurative sense.