HOPE: Long-Term Faith | Tony Nichols

Devotional

Day 1: Stars Over Ur’s Sky

Abraham stood under Mesopotamian night skies when God shattered his routine. “Count the stars,” Yahweh said—a promise of descendants to a childless nomad. For 25 years, Abraham walked deserts, his sandaled feet crunching grains he’d later compare to his unrealized legacy. Yet each dawn, he chose to trust the Maker of constellations over barrenness. [10:30]

God’s promises often bloom in life’s driest seasons. He didn’t ask Abraham to manufacture heirs but to fix his gaze on divine capability. Stars became daily reminders: the God who lit galaxies could ignite life in a dead womb.

When delays stretch your faith thin, creation shouts His faithfulness. What impossible dream has God spoken over your life? Write it down. Carry it like Abraham carried star-counting wonder. What promise are you tempted to stop believing for?

“The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country… to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation…’ So Abram went.”
(Genesis 12:1,4, NIV)

Prayer: Ask God to renew your awe for His power to fulfill what He’s promised.

Challenge: Write one specific promise God has spoken to you on a notecard. Place it where you’ll see it daily.

Day 2: Flames Between Halves

Blood soaked the dirt as Abraham split animals for covenant. But God made him sleep—then walked alone between carcasses as flaming torch and furnace. The vow wasn’t dependent on Abraham’s loyalty but God’s unshakable character. [13:26]

Jesus’ cross sealed our covenant like that fiery walk. Our hope rests not in our perfection but in Christ’s finished work. When you fail, remember: the covenant-keeping God burns brighter than your inconsistencies.

How often do you strive to earn what grace freely gives? Stop auditing your worthiness. The One who walked through blood for Abraham walks with you. When did you last thank Him for covenants kept on your behalf?

“When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces.”
(Genesis 15:17, NIV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for securing promises you couldn’t earn.

Challenge: Light a candle tonight. As it burns, name three ways God has been faithful despite your failures.

Day 3: Hagar’s Hollow Hope

Ninety-year-old Sarah shoved Hagar toward Abraham. “Build our family through her,” she insisted. For a year, the surrogate pregnancy seemed to fulfill God’s promise—until jealousy fractured the household. Human solutions often birth Ishmaels: temporary fixes that complicate God’s timeline. [16:06]

God let Abraham taste the bitterness of self-reliance. Our “good ideas” frequently delay true fulfillment. Yet even in our detours, He patiently redirects us to His better plan.

Where are you forcing outcomes instead of waiting on God’s “rhema” word? Identify one situation where you’ve taken control. Release it. How would your week change if you trusted His timing over yours?

“Abram slept with Hagar, and she conceived… So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael.”
(Genesis 16:4,15, NIV)

Prayer: Confess areas where you’ve prioritized hurry over holiness.

Challenge: Identify one “Ishmael” in your life. Write it on paper, then tear it up as a surrender act.

Day 4: Laughter at the Tent Door

Sarah snorted when angels said she’d nurse a child at ninety. Yet twelve months later, baby Isaac’s cries proved God’s timing perfect. The name “Isaac” (he laughs) memorialized both her doubt and heaven’s delight in overcoming it. [32:21]

God isn’t threatened by our incredulity. He transforms skeptical laughter into worship. Every fulfilled promise becomes a stone of remembrance—proof He resurrects dead situations.

What situation makes you say, “Impossible!”? Recall a past “Isaac moment” when God surprised you. Who needs to hear that story today? When did you last share testimonies of His faithfulness?

“Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised.”
(Genesis 21:1-2, NIV)

Prayer: Ask for boldness to declare God’s faithfulness amid lingering impossibilities.

Challenge: Text someone today about a time God answered prayer unexpectedly.

Day 5: Wrinkles and Living Hope

Centenarian Abraham studied his sagging skin and Sarah’s menopausal body. Yet Romans 4 says he “did not waver” because he measured God’s power, not human decay. His faith grew calluses from clinging to the Promise-Giver. [35:30]

True hope stares down death certificates, empty wombs, and empty wallets—and still whispers, “But God.” It’s not denial of reality but defiance rooted in resurrection power.

What “dead” area needs life spoken over it? Stop rehearsing limitations. Start declaring Christ’s victory. What tomb in your life awaits His “Lazarus, come out!” command?

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed… being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”
(Romans 4:18,21, NIV)

Prayer: Command hope to rise in one specific area as you pray aloud.

Challenge: Write “BUT GOD” on your mirror. Each morning, declare it over your hardest situation.

Sermon Summary

Proverbs 13:12 names what the heart knows, that hope delayed makes the heart sick, and that fulfilled desire feels like a tree of life. Romans 4 then shows Abraham standing in that gap, “in hope against hope,” trusting the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not exist. Hope rests in long-term faith. Hebrews 10:23 urges a steady grip on the confession of hope without wavering, since the One who promised is faithful. The tongue can either partner with God’s timing or tear down what God is building, so hope learns to stop cursing the delay and to say, God is good and can be trusted.

The covenant God cut with Abram in Genesis 15 anchors this rest. The flaming torch and the smoking oven pass through while Abram sleeps, signaling that Jesus and the Father secure the promise for a frail man who cannot keep it on his own. The Name then gets shared. Abram becomes Abraham, Sarai becomes Sarah. Identity and authority get stitched into the promise, and hope begins to breathe.

Rhema births the kind of faith that carries hope. Logos is the whole word, but rhema is the word that lands in a heart for a moment, a direction, a calling. That word gives a future and a hope. Testimony confirms it. The call to the nations arrives without striving. Provision for kingdom businesses comes just in time, down to dollars that match the assignment. Waiting turns from a grind into formation. Availability grows, and instant obedience becomes normal.

God speaks in the past tense about what looks impossible in the present. “A father of many nations have I made you.” That word releases rest. Abraham does not deny the natural facts. He looks them in the eye and leans into the greater fact, that God raises the dead and creates what is not there yet. True hope is confident expectation and assured anticipation, and it comes from union with the Lord, not from crossed fingers. Worship becomes the tell that hope has landed, because a heart that is fully assured starts giving glory instead of asking again. Righteousness gets credited to that kind of faith, and reward follows, because God is and God is a rewarder.

Romans 15:13 finally sends the church out under the blessing of the God of hope, who fills with joy and peace in believing, so that hope abounds by the Spirit’s power. Even a hard valley with ruptured health gets folded into that story, where timing looks late until it proves perfect, and control gives way to rest.

Key Takeaways

1. Hope rests in God’s character Hope does not lean on momentum or mood. Hope leans on the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being what is not there yet. When the character of God sets the frame, delays stop looking like denials and start looking like preparation. Faith then breathes easy because the Promiser is able to perform. [05:23]
2. Waiting trains instant obedience Delay is not wasted time. Delay retrains reflexes so obedience can be both costly and quick. When the heart stays constantly available to be instantly obedient, timing becomes God’s burden and peace becomes the believer’s portion. Readiness replaces restlessness. [23:01]
3. God shares His Name and covenant Covenant settles the fear that faith might fail. God secures the promise Himself and then marks identity with His Name, so calling flows from belonging. Authority, access, and assurance rise out of that union, and hope takes root in who God says the believer is. [14:56]
4. Speak life while you wait The tongue can partner with God’s promise or grind it down in frustration. Complaining about timing corrodes confidence, but confessing God’s faithfulness keeps the soul aligned with His pace. Speech becomes an act of stewardship while the promise ripens. [07:50]
5. Worship signals hope has landed When assurance settles in, petition gives way to praise. Thanksgiving becomes the reflex, not because the answer is seen, but because the word is settled. Glory rises where the heart knows, “It’s done,” and that worship keeps the soul steady until fulfillment. [31:59]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:16] - Joy that stretches hope
[03:09] - Prayer for hope and healing
[04:19] - Hope deferred, heart made sick
[05:23] - Abraham: in hope against hope
[07:31] - Hold fast the confession
[10:30] - Stars, sand, and a long wait
[13:05] - Covenant cut while Abram sleeps
[14:56] - New names, shared Name
[16:06] - Rhema that builds real faith
[21:04] - Past-tense promise, present rest
[23:01] - Constantly available, instantly obedient
[24:33] - God gives life to the dead
[34:37] - Timing, surgery, and God’s provision
[40:54] - Invitation and benediction of hope

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Romans 4:17-22 (ESV)
17 As it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.”

Observation questions

What contrast does Proverbs 13:12 highlight between delayed hope and fulfilled desire?
In Romans 4:18, how does Abraham respond to the apparent impossibility of God’s promise about his descendants?
What example was given in the sermon of waiting for God’s timing leading to provision for missions? [17:49]
How does Hebrews 10:23 connect holding onto hope with God’s character?

Interpretation questions

Why do you think God used the imagery of stars and sand (Genesis 15:5) to describe Abraham’s future descendants? What might this reveal about His promises?
The sermon mentions that “speaking life” while waiting aligns us with God’s pace. How might complaining or confessing faithfulness impact our ability to trust Him during delays? [07:50]
Abraham’s name change (Genesis 17:5) marked a shift in his identity. Why is receiving a new name tied to belonging and authority in God’s covenant?

Application questions

What is one area of your life where hope feels delayed? How could focusing on God’s character (e.g., His power to “call things into being”) shift your perspective this week?
The sermon emphasized “instant obedience” as a fruit of waiting. Where do you sense God asking you to act quickly or stay available, even if the timing feels unclear? [23:01]
How can you practice “speaking life” over a situation you’re tempted to complain about? What specific promise or truth from Scripture could you declare instead?
The pastor shared a story about God’s provision during a health crisis. [34:37] When has God’s timing surprised or challenged you? How did it deepen your trust in Him?
Worship was described as a “signal that hope has landed.” What step could you take to replace anxious prayers with thanksgiving in a current season of waiting?
Abraham’s faith grew as he “gave glory to God” (Romans 4:20). What practical habit (e.g., journaling, sharing testimonies) could help you celebrate God’s faithfulness daily?

Sermon Clips

37s

“Let me just tell you something. He did not ignore the natural. I've heard people say, well, if you have faith, you can't even talk about the natural. Don't don't do that. I can talk about the natural, but it's not what controls me because God has said. See, Abraham could look at his body and he could look at Sarah and he could say, I'm a 100 and she's 90 and this will absolutely take a miracle and God's like, that's what I've been waiting on. You've come to a place that you understand something, that I give life to the dead. I can give life to your dead body and her dead womb.”

53s

“God said, I gave you the promise. I called you to hope, and you're gonna have to learn to trust my timing. I know what I'm doing. I'm well today and I don't owe anything. So I don't know your circumstance and your situation but I do know this, God sees you and cares. God's speaking to you his promises and you can glance at the circumstances, just gaze at him and trust him. It doesn't mean I didn't talk to him. It doesn't mean I didn't say, I sure wish I understood. And there are times he would release a little. What he was trying to teach me to do is quit being a control freak”

41s

“So he is speaking to Abraham now and he says to him in verse 17, as it is written, a father of many nations, have I made you? He doesn't even have a child yet. And God is proclaiming to him in the present tense, this is already done. You see, that's what faith does. When we hear the Lord, when we begin to walk in obedience, whether it is walking in health, whether it's believing God for finances, whether it's trusting God to reconcile relationships, you plug in, you fill in the blank. When you and I surrender to the will of God, he speaks as though it's done.”

46s

“You see, what God has done for us in Christ is he has shared his name with us. We are sons and daughters of God and we have the authority of the name of Jesus. And so it gives us access to the promises of God, to the person of God and as he speaks these things to us, it produces faith and hope. That's where it comes from. So he goes on and he basically says to them, I'm gonna bless you and make you a blessing to many nations. Even though your wife Sarai is barren and you, I will give you both a child through which the blessings will come and I'm not gonna use a surrogate.”

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