I was reading Genesis this evening and noticed something interesting about Abram and Sarai and their belief in God's promise that Abram would be the father of a multitude even though they hadn't yet had any children of their own.

When the promise was initially given, Abram believed it, and God counted that as righteousness. He fully believed it - strong faith in the promise.

Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir." And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them " And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:4-6)

Then later on, Abram agreed to take his wife's handmaid as a wife and to try and execute God's promise that way. They attempted to "help it along" so to speak. I guess they were getting tired of waiting and not sure God had remembered - weakening faith.

So Sarai said to Abram, "Now behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. (Genesis 16:2)

Then lastly, when God did finally reiterate the promise to Abraham, Abraham actually laughed at God. That's called NO faith. Sarah traveled a similar path, though we don't really know at what level her faith in the promise started.

Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her." Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?" (Genesis 17:15-17)

I noticed when I was reading it that it seems like the factor that weakened the faith was TIME. Elapsed time. Time spent waiting, wondering, doubting, questioning, getting excited and then feeling disappointment and bitterly hurting.

I suppose time can weaken faith in God's promises, especially if they are the kind of promises that are given to us personally, and therefore we must do without the solidity of reading them in the Word (depending on how specific they are). Actually, no "suppose" about it - I've experienced in it my own life. But one other thing I noticed about Abraham and Sarah - no matter how little they believed in the promise by the time they were old, there is a place where they were still obedient. You see, they did bear a son in their old age, which means that no matter how odd they thought it, they still were intimate with each other as husband and wife - the requirements for conceiving that promised child. That very action in itself was perhaps a sign of faith being rekindled, however small their hopes were at the time.

For the promises in our lives that we have not yet seen fulfilled - are there places where we need to be obedient to fulfill any requirements that would prove our faith in God's word to us? Or perhaps it only requires us to continue to wait and not to abandon the promise.

Either way, there is one thing that is sure, and I speak from personal experience: God's promises will never fail us. It is only our faith that sometimes fails. If you are waiting on a promise, be encouraged - even if you have to wait through many seasons, God will fulfill it to the greater glory of His name.