Eight years ago Dave bought me a newish Toyota Sienna. It was bar none the nicest vehicle I’d ever owned. I felt like a celebrity driving around the ‘burbs in my decked out Swagger Wagon. Well, as much as a celebrity as you can feel like driving around in a mini van anyway. It had a moon roof, phat stereo, DVD player, automatic doors, and leather seats. Dave promised this baby would last me for-evah.
Turns out “forever” meant approximately eight years. Because four kids, two crashes, and 156,000 miles have officially drained any swagger from my wagon.
It has lost all ability to accelerate at a decent pace. The DVD player crapped out on us five years ago in the middle of a fourteen hour trip home from Michigan. (I almost wept.) But the kids still … STILL … ask me to check if it’s working again. The inside door panel has an irksome habit of falling off when you open the door, requiring a good kick to snap back in place. And both armrests had to be gorilla glued down after they lost a battle with my toddler.
Hands down the most annoying issue is how the automatic doors don’t work in cold weather. They close but won’t fully latch, triggering the sensor to emit a blaring high pitched beep as we drive around town. I recently turned off the automatic doors altogether only to realize my children never learned how to open or shut manual doors.
Do you want to feel like you are winning at parenting? Give your teenager a lesson in opening and closing a sliding van door in thirty below wind chills.
It is really tempting to give up on the van and purchase a newer vehicle. But Dave swears up and down this thing should last us another 50,000 miles. I know nothing about cars and he has always made sure I am safe and secure in my wheels. So I choose to believe him.
Hey at least its not rusty.
I’ve been reading about Abraham lately. His faith astounds me. He believed a promise way more high stakes that whether a mini van would last another 50K miles. He was told by God that he would be the father of the nations. Imagine that.
He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” ~Genesis 15:5
There were two little problems. Abraham was old. And his wife was barren.
But the Bible tells us that Abraham believed God. And his faith made him righteous in God’s sight.
Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. ~Genesis 15:6
In the book of Romans, Paul writes about this account. He is explaining to the Roman church that their faith, not the law, is what makes them righteous before God and using Abraham’s relationship with God as his example.
For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. ~Romans 4:13
Abraham had every reason to think God was going to change his mind, had made a mistake, or flat out lied to him. It made no sense in the natural world that an old man and his old wife would have a baby … let alone be the father of nations. But the Bible tells us he believed him. Plain and simple. He believed.
In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. ~Romans 5:18-19
In fact, Paul paints an incredible picture of Abraham gripping this promise and pressing into God.
No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. ~Romans 4:20-21
His faith is incredible in its totality and simplicity. And it was his faith that made him righteous before God.
Abraham took his thoughts captive and didn’t let his circumstances dictate whether he believed God. In fact, he gave glory to God before the promise was even fulfilled.
Can I do that? Do I waver in my faith or dig in and completely trust God when circumstances seem impossible?
Paul goes one step further by reminding us of a critical truth: These words were written for us.
But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, ~Romans 4:23-24
God is faithful. His promises are true and they are for all of us. And he expects us to believe him. Because its our faith that makes us righteous before God. Not our deeds. Not our behavior. Our faith.
Throughout our lives we all face circumstances that seem impossible and have the potential to make us to waver in our faith. Its in the face of those very circumstances that we are called to give glory to God, stop our minds from going down a rabbit trail of doubt, and stand firm in our faith.
The van is just a silly illustration. But the point is … while I secretly hope the tranny drops out of my van and I get a new one … I fully trust my husband.
How much more can I trust my God?
