Believe against hope!

                            BELIEVE AGAINST HOPE...

 The Eternal makes us promises...

Some of them, humanly speaking, become impossible for our natives... But it demands of us, a persistent and persevering faith, because this word left the mouth of the Eternal and will not return to Him empty... It will be fulfilled in the opportune time ...

Our duty as Christians is to believe against hope... Whenever the Lord gives us promises, certainly contrary circumstances and words will confront the Promises of the Lord. Attempts by the enemy to destabilize us spiritually and bring hopelessness... Hence the danger of wanting to give a “way” for the promise to happen. Give a "little strength" to the Eternal. It was Sara's mistake in asking Abraham to lie down with Hagar to secure his “heir”. We clearly see the bad weather in the lives of Abraham and Sarah, however, we can also see the miracle. They had a promise and also, contrary circumstances... They decided to believe! That's what we must do! Believing against hope even though everything says otherwise! If the Eternal promised it will happen!!!

GENESIS 18:1-33

God promises a son to Abraham

1The Lord God appeared to Abraham in the sacred grove of Mamre. It was the hottest time of the day, and Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent. 2 He looked up and saw three men standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them. He knelt down, put his face on the floor 3 and said:

- Gentlemen, if I deserve your attention, do not pass by my humble home without paying me a visit. He 4I will send for water to wash your feet, and then you will rest here under the tree. 5I will also bring you some food, so you will have the strength to continue your journey. You honored me with your visit; therefore, let me serve you.

They answered:

— All right, we accept.

6Abraham ran into the tent and said to Sarah,

- Quickly! Take ten kilos of flour and make bread.

7Then he ran to the cattle, selected a good new calf and handed it to one of the servants, who prepared it to be eaten. 8Abraham took curds, milk, and prepared meat and placed them in front of the visitors. There, under the tree, he served the food himself and watched. 9Then they asked:

"Where is Sara, your wife?"

"She's in the tent," Abraham replied.

10One of them said:

'Next year I'll come visit you again. And at that time Sara, his wife, will have a child.

Sara was behind him, at the entrance to the tent, listening to the conversation. 11Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah was past the age of having children. 12 So he laughed inside and thought:

"How can I have sexual pleasure now that my lord and I are old?"

13Then the LORD asked Abraham,

"Why did Sara laugh?" Why did she say she's too old to have a child? 14Is anything impossible for the LORD? For, as I said, next year I will come to visit you again. And at that time Sara will have a child.

When Sara heard this, she was afraid and wanted to deny it.

"I wasn't laughing," she said.

But the LORD answered:

- Is not true; you really laughed.

Abraham asks in favor of Sodom

16Then the visitors got up and went to a place where they could see the city of Sodom. And Abraham went with them to show them the way. 17Then the LORD God said to himself, “I will not hide from Abraham what I intend to do. 18His descendants will become a great and powerful nation, and through him I will bless all the nations of the earth. 19I have chosen him so that he will command his children and his descendants to obey my teachings and do what is right and just. If they obey, I will do for Abraham all that I promised.”

20Then the LORD said to Abraham,

“There are terrible charges against Sodom and Gomorrah, and the sin of their inhabitants is very grave. 21 I need to go down there to see if the accusations I've been hearing are true or not.

22Then two of the visitors went out, going towards Sodom; but Abraham stayed there with God the LORD. 23Abraham came a little closer and asked,

"Will you destroy the good along with the bad ones?" 24Maybe there are fifty people straight in the city. In that case, will you destroy the city? Would you not forgive her for the love of the good fifty? 25It is not possible for you to kill the good along with the bad, as if everyone had committed the same sins. Don't do that! You are the judge of the whole world and therefore you will act with justice.

26The LORD God answered,

"If I find fifty people upright in Sodom, I'll forgive the whole town for them."

27Abraham said again:

— Forgive my daring to continue talking to you, for you are the Lord, and I am a mere mortal. 28It may be that there are only forty-five straight people. Will you destroy the city because of that difference of five?

God answered:

"If I find forty-five, I won't destroy the city."

29Abraham continued:

"What if there are only forty good ones?"

"For the sake of these forty, I will not destroy the city," God replied.

30Abraham said:

“Don't be angry with me, Lord, for I keep talking. What if there are only thirty?

God answered:

“If there are thirty, I'll forgive the city.

31Abraham insisted again:

"I'm being bold, but forgive me, Lord." What if there are only twenty?

"For the love of these twenty, I will not destroy the city," God replied.

32Finally Abraham said:

“Don't be angry, Lord, for this is the last time I will speak. What if there are only ten?

"Because of these ten, I will not destroy the city," God replied.

33 When the LORD God had finished speaking to Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home

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