Against All Hope, in Hope He Believed
- Danika Thompson
- May 18
- 7 min read
What happens when you are standing on the WORD of God, and yet there is no tangible sign of hope in which to believe? Every prayer seems unanswered, every scripture seems without power and without life, every circumstance seems to remain unchanging...
This is where faith is tried and tested, and where the life of faith is born (James 1:2-3; 1 Peter 1:7; Romans 1:17).
This is where we step into our Christ-given identities as "more than conquerors through Him that loved us" (Romans 8:37).
This is where we often learn that we have spent our entire lives limiting God to the natural laws and ways of this world (Psalm 78:41).
This is where we receive the blessing of believing without seeing (John 20:29).
This is where being carnally minded ends, and being spiritually minded begins. It is where you stop walking and living in the flesh, and you start walking and living in the Spirit. (Romans 8:6; Galatians 5:16-17; Galatians 6:8; 1 Corinthians 2:14).
It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh profits us nothing (John 6:63). Living and walking in the flesh means to be dominated by what you feel and what you see, more than the WORD of God. Permitting our circumstances to rule and reign above God's WORD, is to be carnally minded, worldly, and live in the lust (desire) of the flesh. It is a life of doubt and unbelief, and it ultimately reaps a life of corruption (Galatians 6:8). It is a life where the kingdom of God is not made manifest. Sadly, this is the life of the majority of Christians.
The WORD of GOD is a Seed
God's WORD is a seed with supernatural ability to increase and multiply wherever it is planted.
for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable, but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring WORD of God.
1 Peter 1:23 NASB
The seed is the WORD of God.
Luke 8:11b KJV
Every single time you take God's WORD and plant it in your heart, and you don't allow it to get snatched away, ripped up, or rooted out by the cares and the circumstances of this world, that seed is working in you and in your life to produce, to multiply, and to endure forever.
The WORD of God working in your life, can never fail.
God is not a man, therefore He cannot lie. But every WORD of God that is written in the scriptures is infallible, and incapable of failing.
So the issue is not with the WORD. The WORD is perfect, unfailing, incorruptible, and is The Truth.
The issue is this- are we willing to stand on it, to wait on it, and believe God's WORD despite everything around us that says differently?
God is not human, that He should lie, not a human being, that He should change his mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?
Numbers 23:19
Let God be true, and every human being a liar.
Romans 3:4a
This is faith.
Abraham was a perfect picture of a man of faith.
He had a WORD from God- that he would have a son, and that GOD would make a mighty nation out of Abraham.
This sounds like an easy thing to believe for, except the fact that Abraham was around 90 years old when God first spoke this promise to him, and his wife Sarah was 80. This is well beyond child-rearing years. This is medically impossible.
But what is truth? God, or medical science? God's WORD, or circumstantial facts?
Yea, let GOD BE TRUE, AND EVERY MAN A LIAR.
The Promise
"the WORD of the LORD came to [Abraham] in a vision:
“Do not be afraid, [Abraham]. I AM your shield, your very great reward.”
But [Abraham] replied,
“O Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
[Abraham] continued,
“Behold, You have given me no offspring, so a servant in my household will be my heir.”
Then the WORD of the LORD came to [Abraham], saying,
“This one will not be your heir, but one who comes from your own body will be your heir.”
And the LORD took him outside and said,
“Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.”
Then He told him,
“So shall your offspring be.”
[Abraham] believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
Genesis 15:1-6
God came to Abraham and said, if you are able, if you can, look into the unseen, and believe MY WORD over your old age. Believe MY PROMISE over your circumstances. And Abraham did. He believed God, and God accredited Abraham as a righteous man because of his faith.
In the New Testament, a man brings his epileptic son to Jesus' disciples to be delivered of a demonic spirit, and healed. The disciples were unable to cast the unclean spirit out of the boy, and they were overcome with unbelief when they focused on the circumstances- not on the WORD. They saw the boy seizing and foaming at the mouth, and in that moment their hearts believed what was in the realm of the seen, more than what was unseen. The father of the seizing boy then looked to Jesus and said, "if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." And Jesus replied,
"If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."
Mark 9:23-24
If You Can
How often do we approach God wondering if He can? If that is the prevailing thought at the forefront of our minds when we approach God, then we have not really come to know Him as well as we were created to know Him.
There is nothing too hard for the LORD.
The LORD is saying to you this day,
If you can BELIEVE, anything is possible for you.
Just as God told Abraham to fix his eyes on the stars because they reflected God's unseen promise, so is God telling you to fix your gaze upon the unseen Truth of His WORD.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:18
God is able. And He wants to do the impossible, through you. But He needs your cooperation. He needs your agreement. He needs your faith.
He needs you, to believe HIM.
Take His WORD and stand on it.
Don't stand on the doctor's report.
Don't stand on the number in your bank account.
Don't stand on the pile of bills.
Don't stand on your symptoms.
Don't stand on your feelings.
Don't stand on your circumstances.
Stand on the WORD of God.
Know God through His WORD.
Believe God and what HE SAYS in His WORD.
Immerse yourself in God's WORD until your heart is utterly convinced.
And let His WORD lead you to triumph.
but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory [as conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:57 AMP
Keep standing on the WORD of God, and be strong not in your circumstances, but in HIS mighty power. Even after doing everything, keep standing.
His WORD will not fail you.
Our GOD never fails.
Everything He does reveals His glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails.
Psalm 111:3
The Full Armor of God
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed, and with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the WORD of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will boldly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it fearlessly, as I should.
Against all hope, in hope believe, and see the promise of God's WORD in your life.
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