Despair can kill the soul and sometimes it infects people. They begin to think of the terrible lives they have led and become convinced that forgiveness is impossible. They die in despair, saying to themselves, “There is no hope for me now. Clearly the dreadful things I have done cannot possibly be forgiven. So why try to change my lust-filled life?”

—Augustine, Sermon 87.10

Augustine is right despair can kill the soul. Everyone, if they are honest with themselves, likely harbors what they consider to be an “unforgivable sin.” But that really is Satan whispering lies to us. Nothing we have done is unforgivable unless we refuse to ask for and accept forgiveness.

When we are tempted to be overcome by despair, let us remember the symbol of God’s justice—the Cross. God himself suffered the just punishment for our sins so that we can live with him forever. Why would he not be willing to forgive our broken and contrite hearts?

We complain that our days are gloomy. Our grandparents and their grandparents probably did the same thing. People are never completely pleased with the days they live through but they frequently think that the days of their ancestors were quite pleasant. Those ancestors were pleased with past days they had never experienced, which is why they thought them pleasant. It is only the present that the heart feels so acutely. Practically every year when we experience the changing weather we say “It’s never been so cold.” “It’s never been so hot.” Comparison with a “better” past is always on our minds.

—Augustine, Sermon 25.1

I can really relate to Augustine here because I certainly see my past with rose colored glasses. What he points us to is the result of the Fall. The human condition will remain constant until Christ returns to finish the redemptive work he started. Then we will no longer need to yearn for the good old days because our present will be glorious in the direct presence of God.

God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!” Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him. On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him.

—Genesis 17:15-23 (TNIV)

Twenty five years after God first promised Abraham his own offspring, God finally fulfilled his promise. Twenty five years! A quarter of a century! How many of us would be willing to wait that long for God to fulfill his promises to us? How many of us would fall away after that much time had passed? How many of us would be tempted to lose all hope, all faith? In my own life, I know I have been tempted to abandon hope and faith after weeks have passed and I do not have an answer to my prayers. It is truly a remarkable statement about the faith of Abraham. Despite his temporary lapses in faith, he remained faithful to God. He let God be his God as God had required in making his covenant with Abraham (see yesterday’s reflection).

Four things jump out in this passage: (1) God is sovereign and faithful. He will deliver on his promises to his fallen creatures, but (2) he will do so on his time, not ours. You see, being finite, we only can see a very tiny piece of the great canvas of God’s work, will, and creation. God, being infinite, entirely good, eternal, and all knowing, sees the entire canvas and acts accordingly.

Either we will believe him and trust him to do all that he says he will do, and be all who he says he is, or we will not. The choice is ours.

When we trust him, give our very being to him, and allow him to be our God (i.e., when we humble ourselves to use biblical language), we choose to walk in the light, we choose to enter a relationship with God that leads to life. When we do not, we choose to walk in the darkness, a biblical term denoting our continuing separation from God (see, e.g., John 3:19-21), a separation that can only lead to death since God is the sole Author and Source of all life; and (3) our trust in him will always manifest itself in our obedience to his will. Note how promptly Abraham obeyed God’s command for him to have everyone in his household circumcised; Abraham acted that very day.

The fourth thing that jumps out in this passage is Abraham’s continuing love for his son Ishmael. Despite the sin and human folly that led to Ishmael’s conception and birth, and despite Sarah’s continuing hostility toward Hagar and Ishmael, Abraham is anxious to have Ishmael included in God’s promises. That represents the heart of a father at its best. I can relate to that.

Oh, and did you also notice God’s continuing sense of humor in this story? In addition to Abraham’s dubious track record in believing God’s promise to provide him with his own offspring, here Abraham laughs in disbelief that he and Sarah can have a child at their age. In response, what does God tell Abraham to name the boy? Isaac, which means “he laughs.” Sweet.

Like Abraham, we will always be tempted to question God’s sovereign power and ability to deliver on his promises. Today’s passage reminds us that indeed God can. Take hope and heart from this. The God of Abraham is the same God who wants to be your God too.