Renewal

You can never please God without faith, without depending on him. Anyone who wants to come to God must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely look for him. Hebrews 11:6 (TLB)

Abraham trusted God, and when God told him to leave home and go far away to another land which he promised to give him, Abraham obeyed. Away he went, not even knowing where he was going. and even when he reached God's promised land, he lived in tents like a mere visitor, as did Isaac and Jacob, to whom God gave the same promise. Abraham did this because he was confidently waiting for God to bring him to that strong heavenly city whose designer and builder is God.

Sarah, too, had faith, and because of this she was able to become a mother is spite of her old age, for she realized that God, who gave her his promise, would certainly do what he said. And so a whole nation came from Abraham - who was too old to have even one child - a nation with so many millions of people that, like the stars of the sky and the sand on the ocean shores, there is no way to count them. Hebrews 11:8-12 (TLB)

We walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV)

In late December while Brenda Brooks, from Virginia, was walking their dog, she noticed the trees had lost their leaves and looked dead. She felt like those trees because she could see no evidence in her life of answered prayers. Later on, at the end of March, Brenda observed the trees again. This time she noticed tiny buds poking out at the tips of the limbs. By the end of May the trees were covered with green leaves, ready to shade them from the summer sun.

When we don't see evidence of God at work in our lives, we may begin to doubt God and to think nothing will ever change. In Genesis, God tells Abraham at least four times that he would give him and Sarah a son. Years go by, but the child hasn't come. The last time God promises Abraham and Sarah a son, Sarah laughs because of the impossibility of the idea, especially at their ages. Despite their lack of faith, God reassures them: "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Gen.18:14). Sure enough, at God's appointed time, Sarah gave birth to Isaac, and they got to witness God's turning an impossibility into a reality.

Those barren trees reassured Brenda that God can bring renewal to what may seem dead. If God takes care of the trees, surely God will take care of our concerns as well.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your promise that if we wait on you, we won't be disappointed. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.