Celebrate Hope: Looking Back Stepping UpSample

Against All Odds

Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. - Romans 4:18 (NLT)

After nearly five years of study and against the odds—limited finances, being a woman of color in a historically male-oriented, Western academy—I finished my doctorate, at the age of sixty! I was following in the footsteps of my grandfather, who also overcame obstacles to success. Despite having only an eighth-grade education, he believed he could start the first black-owned cab company in his city.

Abraham believed God when all the odds—his age, Sarah’s age, and long years of waiting on God—suggested it was impossible that he could become a father (Genesis 21:1–5). Moreover, Abraham became the father of generations who live by faith, those who hope against the odds (Romans 4:18). Abraham’s story serves as one of many examples of a simple truth that can encourage us all: God does the impossible. 

Whether we’re recent graduates, in college, or working toward success in our career, there are odds stacked against us. Racial injustice, economic disruption, pandemics. When you’re saddled with school debt, entering a depressed job market with few entry-level opportunities, it would be natural to lose hope. Why hope against hope when there’s no evidence to support you? Abraham’s hope was not in his circumstances but in a living God who had spoken to him despite circumstances that seemed to defy that very word. A hope that defies the evidence and clings to God’s promises can achieve the impossible!—Melanie Johnson

What hope does Scripture offer you despite your circumstances? Which “impossibilities” could you realize by hoping against all the odds?

Help me to remember that You are the God of the impossible. I’m grateful that there are no obstacles too big for You to overcome.