Facing the Facts

Tennis Player

My nearly 100-year-old mother-in-law and I have been watching the US Open. Mom played tennis until she was 80, and enjoys watching it on television. Friday night Rafa Nadal, our favorite, lost the first set. It looked as if there was little hope for him. After the match Nadal was asked how he turned things around. He answered that he saw that his plan to keep attacking del Potro’s backhand just wasn’t working, and knew he had to do something. In other words, he had to face the facts that if he continued as he was going he would lose. Nadal changed tactics and came out the winner.

What does one do though if you’re in a situation, and you face the facts that there’s nothing you can do? You’ve looked the problem square in the face, haven’t buried your head in the sand, but there is no plan that will work. For instance, you face a chronic illness

Chronic Illness

where the doctor says, “we’ve run out of options;” you have financial problems that are too great to overcome; your adult child is in trouble but you have no control over him? In other words, it’s hopeless, nothing will work, it’s just an impossible situation.

Let’s look for a minute at Romans 4:18-21 (NIV). Abraham was given a promise from God in Genesis 12. He promised Abraham a land, a people (nation) and to bless others through him. Abraham believed God.

“Without weakening in his faith, he faced the facts…” God had promised him a son so a nation could come from him. He checked his body and faced the fact that he couldn’t father a child. He was almost 100 years old! Then he looked across the table and saw

Abraham and Sarah

Sarah. She had been infertile for decades…no hope there.” Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but (instead) was strengthened in his faith, and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” 

I thought on that portion of the verse, ’did not waver through unbelief’, and questioned God. “But Lord,” I said, “he gave in to Sarah’s quick-fix idea to get a son through Hagar? Then later through fear Abraham told King Abimelech that Sarah was his sister which almost had a tragic result. Isn’t that wavering?” God said he didn’t waiver in his faith. He was human, and made mistakes. He fell prey to fear and to pride like we tend to in the heat of trials. But God says, “he didn’t waver through unbelief”!

 In Abraham’s response to this terrible testing of his faith there is something that spoke to me most. It was that Abraham faced the facts. He didn’t gloss over them and he didn’t ignore the facts. NO! Father Abraham faced the hopelessness of his body and Sarah’s body, and instead of stopping there and giving up, he looked at his

Abraham and Issac

God, my God, your God. He remembered who had called him out of Ur to a new land and how God cared for him. He relived in his mind that awe-filled evening when God passed between the heifer, goat, ram and birds a smoking firepot and blazing torch, and spoke his promise again to him.  And through Abraham’s belief God strengthened his faith, and persuaded him that He is a promise keeping God… and He is.

Ladies, take courage today, and face the facts of your hopeless situations. Call them just what they are. Don’t side step the problem, or try to put a good face on them. Face the fact that your situation is hopeless-- impossible. Don’t waver in your faith—tears are fine, getting angry with God is fine, having a donut when you’re so tired of carrying the heavy load is fine. Face the facts that you aren’t enough, and let God have the whole mess. God will strengthen your faith.  He will get the glory when he steps in and changes things, and fulfills every single word of his good promise to you. The fact is God wants and will get the glory when we believe him, and we will forever be singing his praises.  Amen

Susan Hamlin

Originally Presented to the Leaders Council

9-13-17