Yes—Abraham believed God's promise even when every human reason for hope was gone.
Abraham was about a hundred years old and Sarah ninety when God promised them a son. He had already waited roughly fifty years since the promise first came, and by natural reckoning a child was impossible. Yet, as Les Feldick points out, the promise was valid because God had said He would do it. Abraham's faith rested on God's word, not on his circumstances.
Romans 4:18 — This verse frames the question — Abraham 'against hope believed in hope,' becoming the father of many nations.
Genesis 17:19 — God promises Abraham that Sarah will bear Isaac and that the covenant will be established with him — the specific promise Abraham hoped in.
The Bible records that God promised Abraham a son through Sarah. When Abraham was a hundred years old and Sarah ninety, Abraham fell on his face, laughed, and said, 'Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?' God answered, 'Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.' Later God asked, 'Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.' Romans 4:18 summarizes Abraham's response: 'Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.' And Genesis 15:6 says, 'And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.'
Les Feldick highlights the long timeline of Abraham's wait. He places the original promise around age 50, with 25 more years before Abraham even left Haran, another 14 years before Ishmael was born, and the actual fulfillment when Abraham was 100 — a full 50-year wait. Les uses this to show that Abraham's faith was exercised in the face of prolonged delay and human impossibility. When Abraham was 99 and God reaffirmed the promise, he knew that even if Sarah conceived immediately, he would be at least 100 at the birth. Les explains that despite Abraham's laugh and his plea for Ishmael, what God promised would not fail. In spite of Abraham's age and Sarah's age, the promise was valid because God said He was going to do it. That is how Abraham demonstrated faith against hope: he trusted the promise of God over every apparent impossibility.
Abraham laughed because the promise seemed impossible by every human measure. He was a hundred years old, and Sarah was ninety. Les Feldick points out that at 99, Abraham knew that any child conceived then would be born when he was 100. Yet God reaffirmed the promise: Sarah would bear a son, and his name would be Isaac. Abraham's laugh did not cancel his faith — he still believed God's promise, and God counted it to him for righteousness.
Les Feldick traces the timeline: the promise first came when Abraham was about 50; he left Haran for Canaan at 75; another 14 years passed before he and Sarah decided to have a child through Hagar, when he was 86; and God finally gave him Isaac when he was 100. That is a 50-year wait. Through those decades, Abraham held onto the promise even when it looked as though God was not going to act. The long wait itself is part of what makes his faith 'against hope.'
To believe 'against hope' is to trust God's promise when there is no natural reason to expect fulfillment. Abraham had no human basis for hope: his body was 'now dead' and Sarah's womb was dead, as Romans 4:19 puts it. Les Feldick says it plainly: in spite of Abraham nearing 100 and Sarah nearing 90, the promise was valid because God said He would do it. God asked, 'Is any thing too hard for the LORD?' and Abraham's faith answered that nothing is impossible for God. Thus faith against hope is simply taking God at His word over and against what circumstances seem to say.
The Truth About Grace, Faith & Abraham — Romans 4:13-25
suffered and died on a Roman cross, the God of creation remember, why? Because He loved mankind, that's the only reason, because He loved mankind, and yet what's mankind doing with it? Walking it underfoot, they could care less, and I'm amazed that we get as much response as we do, because most people are just totally ignorant of an eternity to come. I'm convinced.
Abraham Believes God
Les shows that Abraham's faith came through when he believed God's promise, and God credited it to him as righteousness — faith is the response that honors God.
Fifty-Year Wait
Les traces the promise from age 50 to fulfillment at 100, showing that Abraham's hope persisted through a half-century of delay.
Abraham Laughs at the Promise
At nearly 100, Abraham laughed at the thought of a child from himself and 90-year-old Sarah, yet God reaffirmed that Isaac would be the promised son.
God's Promise Cannot Fail
Les emphasizes that in spite of Abraham's and Sarah's ages, the promise was valid because God had spoken it — faith rests on God's faithfulness, not on human possibility.
God's Covenant with Isaac
God spells out that Sarah will bear Isaac and that the everlasting covenant will be with him, giving Abraham a concrete promise to cling to.
Abraham's Plea for Ishmael
At 99, Abraham knew a child would come when he was at least 100, and his plea for Ishmael shows the human struggle, yet he still trusted God's plan.
Nothing Too Hard for the Lord
God's question 'Is any thing too hard for the LORD?' and the appointment of a time for Sarah's son show that God can overcome every impossibility.
Genesis 15:6: And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
This verse shows that Abraham's faith — believing God's promise — was the basis of his righteousness.
Genesis 17:17: Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?
Abraham's reaction exposes the human impossibility of the promise, setting up the need for hope against hope.
Genesis 17:19: And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
God specifically promises that Sarah will bear Isaac and that the covenant will continue through him.
Genesis 18:14: Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
God declares that nothing is too hard for Him, confirming the promised birth at the appointed time.
Romans 4:18: Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
This is the foundational verse for the question — Abraham's faith operated against all natural hope.
Yes. The laugh showed Abraham's natural reasoning — a hundred-year-old man and a ninety-year-old woman having a child seemed impossible. But God did not rebuke his faith; He reaffirmed the promise. Les Feldick points out that Abraham still believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. The laugh was a human reaction, but his heart trusted God's word.
Abraham was strong in faith because he did not let circumstances destroy his confidence in God's promise. Even though his body was aged and Sarah's womb was dead, he was fully persuaded that God was able to perform what He had promised. Les says the promise was valid because God said He would do it.
According to Les Feldick, Abraham was about 50 when the promise was first given, and Isaac was born when Abraham was 100. That means he waited about 50 years. The wait itself tested and demonstrated his hope against all natural expectation.
Watch the Teaching: The Truth About Grace, Faith & Abraham — Romans 4:13-25