Blessed Faith

by Pastor Chad

A flourishing faith trusts the sovereignty of God even when His plans are contrary to our human understanding and out of our control. 

As Christians, we believe God is sovereign over all the universe. What we mean by that is God is in control of everything. God maintains and orchestrates His will in all things. He plans, designs, and ordains all of creation for His purpose and desire. Nothing can thwart His will, and nothing can change His plan. 

In Hebrews 11:20, the author of Hebrews writes, “By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau.” This is a clear demonstration of the dimension of faith. At its core, the aspect of faith displayed in the life of Isaac is one that trusted in the sovereignty of God. By that I mean, He trusted in God’s plan and power. 

The patriarchs of old conferred blessings upon their sons and grandsons as a demonstration that they believed God would do what He said He would do. A blessing was a declaration of faith in God. It was a sacred practice, usually done right before death, in which the divine favor and promises given to the father were extended to the children. The greater portion or greater blessing was usually conferred upon the oldest son. Thus, the promises God made to the father were extended to the elder son. 

In Genesis 27, Jacob, the younger son, deceives his father into blessing him rather than his older brother. You may recall the story. With the help of his mother, Rebekah, Jacob cooks a meal for his father, dresses in his brother Esau's garments, and puts on goat skins to mimic his brother. He lies to his father and receives the blessing meant for Esau. After discovering that he had blessed Jacob, Isaac did not revoke or withdraw his blessing. He trusted that God could work even through the deception of his son. His willingness to invoke a future blessing upon Jacob revealed that he trusted in God’s providential hand to fulfill the promises made to Abraham. Isaac, not understanding how God would bring it about, trusted God would accomplish His plan through the descendants of the younger son, Jacob. 

We must admit: human beings are limited in knowledge and ability. God knows everything. We do not. God can do whatever it is He wants to do. We cannot. Faith doesn’t mean we are gullible or naive, but faith does mean we trust God in our ignorance and intellectual limitations. As Christians, we understand that God will accomplish what He has predestined to accomplish since before the foundation of the world. Furthermore, we trust God will fulfill His plan and purpose in the world and in our lives–even if we don’t really understand what it is that God is doing.