Finding Purpose, Hope and Joy Through Jesus’ BirthSample

## Day 14 – Abraham’s Hope Our passage for today comes soon after Abraham passed an incredibly difficult test. He was asked to sacrifice his beloved son. God intervened and provided a ram instead. Now God blesses Abraham by confirming what He will do for him. He promises to multiply Abraham’s offspring as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. God’s blessing doesn’t stop there. He includes us! He says that in Abraham’s offspring, all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Those descendants went from Isaac to Jacob and generations down to Jesus, born in a manger in Bethlehem. Through Abraham’s hope, all the people have opportunity to be part of God’s family. Abraham’s hope rested in a faithful God who promised that ultimate salvation would come through his descendants. What does it mean that God is faithful? The Hebrew word translated “faithfulness” means “steadfastness, firmness, fidelity.” Because God is faithful, we can trust in His character, even before we know how things will turn out. The character of God never changes. As we grow to know God more, our trust in Him grows too. Abraham didn’t know how his test would turn out, but He trusted in God. We can do the same. Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Does your hope rest in a faithful God too?