All the Things I Can't Do

Scripture: What we read in Scripture is, “Abraham entered into what God was doing for him, and that was the turning point. He trusted God to set him right instead of trying to be right on his own.” If you’re a hard worker and do a good job, you deserve your pay; we don’t call your wages a gift. But if you see that the job is too big for you, that it’s something only God can do, and you trust him to do it—you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked—well, that trusting-him-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer gift. Romans 4:3-5

Observation: The more traditional interpretation of this passage is that Abraham "believed in God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." That's it. Abraham was righteous before the Lord because he saw what needed to be done, and instead of figuring out how to do it himself he simply said "I can't, so I'll figure out what God is doing and simply join him, trusting he will do it."

Abraham could have remained a maker of idols like his father. He could have become a shepherd in Ur. I would have done fine and lived a good (but childless) life. What Abraham couldn't do was ... he couldn't become his own nation, and he couldn't have children. However, God could do these things for Abraham, all he had to do was leave his entire life behind and move hundreds of miles away to a strange land with potential enemies all around, and live the life of an untrusted nomad. And Abraham did that.

Application: I can work. I can do the tasks my boss gives me. I can hold my wife when she is down. I can feed my cats.

What I couldn't do when I was 26 ... I couldn't figure out how to live a peaceful life. I couldn't support a family. I couldn't love anyone. God told me he could do these things in my life if I trusted him, and I did.

What I can't do now ... I can't make my back stronger. I can't trust others with my thoughts. I can't find joy in my daily work. I can't release the anger I have toward strangers. However, God can. Am I ready to trust him?

Prayer: Lord, yes, I'm ready to trust you. I desire the sheer gift of having you in my life, and being righteous not by what I do, but by trusting you will do things that I cannot. Amen.