“Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. (James 2:23)

LOOKING BACK ON PAST YEARS, I think of times I’ve sensed God’s presence strongly and other times when I ran with my own solutions to problems without seeking His guidance. There were times my parenting skills did not measure up to God’s best, times when I went through the motions as a Christian mother. Though I attended church and did what was expected, I knew I had taken life into my own hands.

James takes us back to Genesis, where Abraham believed God in a hopeless situation. How could barren Abraham become the father of many nations? Abraham could not answer that, but he believed God would keep His word. “Abraham believed God.” Those three small words are oh so significant in our relationship with our Father. Throughout Abraham’s imperfect walk in life, he continued to believe and trust every word God spoke to him. The end result: God overlooked Abraham’s human tendencies and rewarded his faith.

I can see now how God has used everything in my life, small or great, trust or doubt, to bring me to a resting place in Him. In my season of little fruit, God didn’t turn His face. He never leaves us alone. He is a good God. He remembers the seed of faith He places in us. He wants us to show others that our faith is genuine by the fruit we bear.

Name a tangible way God’s love will shape your behavior today.

Antje Hill and her husband spend their time between Mississippi and Michigan. She is passionate about her faith, her marriage, her sons and writing.

© 2018 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.