Abraham’s faith was tested. He waited decades for the son God had promised to him and his wife Sarah. When God told him that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars, he believed, and that belief strengthened his relationship with God (Genesis 15:6). When God commanded him to give up his long-awaited son, he obeyed, and God praised him for it:
By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Genesis 22:16-18
Why did Abraham have to wait so long? Couldn’t God have blessed him earlier? Of course he could, but the duration served at least two purposes:
- It demonstrated his faith.
- It refined his faith.
The Book of Mormon prophet Moroni declared that “faith is things which are hoped for and not seen.” Abraham’s faith was active when he believed in a promise that had not yet come to fruition. Moroni said, “dispute not because ye see not.” The space between promise and fulfillment is where faith lives. When the blessing arrives, faith is no longer required. That’s why God withholds blessings until “after the trial of [our] faith” (Ether 12:6).
Jesus said, “I will try the faith of my people” (3 Nephi 26:11; see also Mosiah 23:21). James indicated that God does this for our growth: “The trying of your faith worketh patience” (James 1:3). Blessings deferred give us space to stretch. We develop faith when we experience things that require faith.
Today, I will trust in God’s promises. Like Abraham, I will believe in God even when blessings are delayed.
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