July 19 – Believe. Hope.

July 19 – Believe.  Hope.

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’” (Romans 4:18)

At eight years old, I was in the middle of dealing with a health crisis I didn’t understand.  For no reason at all, my heart would begin to race upwards of 200 beats per minute.  I would sweat, get headaches, stomachaches and wear out in moments.  We lived in a small town in southeast Iowa and the nearest doctor was a half hour away.  One night, after hours, my heart spasmed and my parents couldn’t get it to slow back to normal – we dashed to Iowa City and they were told that if I lived through the night, there would be no hope of me ever living a normal life.  My heart would be so severely damaged that it would barely support me.

Against all hope, my parents believed that I would be fine.  They spent the night praying and holding on to me – not in fear or panic, but in strong belief.

They believed that God had something bigger planned for my life than deterioration due to a damaged heart.

The next morning when my doctor came in to check on me, he couldn’t believe what was happening.  My heart was strong and healthy and I went home the following day.

Against all hope, Abraham believed.

What do you need to believe today?