Yes, Abraham maintained his faith by trusting God's promise even when it seemed humanly impossible.
Romans 4:18 says he 'against hope believed in hope,' trusting that a hundred-year-old man and a ninety-year-old woman could still have the promised son. Les Feldick shows that Abraham waited fifty years, yet his faith rested on God's word, not on his circumstances.
Romans 4:18 — This verse directly answers how Abraham kept believing while the promise was delayed and physically impossible.
Paul writes in Romans 4:17 that Abraham stood before the God 'who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.' In Romans 4:18, he says Abraham 'against hope believed in hope,' trusting that he would be the father of many nations. Genesis 15:6 records that 'he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.' Later, when Abraham laughed at the promise of a son in his old age, God did not withdraw the promise; He repeated it specifically: 'Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac' (Genesis 17:19). And the Lord 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' (Genesis 18:14).
Les Feldick points out that Abraham's faith was refined through a very long period of waiting. He estimates that Abraham was fifty when God first promised him a nation, seventy-five when he finally left Haran, and a hundred when Isaac was born—a wait of fifty years. Les says Abraham was not perfect and did get impatient, taking Hagar as a means to fulfill the promise. Yet God's word did not fail. When Abraham laughed at the idea of a hundred-year-old father and a ninety-year-old mother, and even asked that Ishmael might be the heir, God made it clear that Sarah would bear Isaac, and with Isaac He would establish His covenant. Les emphasizes that Abraham believed 'against hope'—against common sense and physical reasoning—and that this is the kind of faith that honors God. The lesson for believers is that delays, added years, and impossible situations do not weaken God's promise; rather, faith rests on the God who can make something out of nothing.
Les Feldick gives the timeline in his teaching. He says Abraham was about fifty when God promised him that a nation would come from his body and from his wife Sarah. Then twenty-five years passed before he left Haran at seventy-five. Another fourteen years went by before Sarah and Abraham decided to take matters into their own hands, and Ishmael was born when Abraham was eighty-six. The promised son, Isaac, was not born until Abraham was one hundred. So Abraham waited roughly fifty years from the first promise to its fulfillment. Les says, 'That's a long time. No wonder the poor guy got impatient. But nevertheless, God's Word was sure.'
In Romans 4:18, Paul says that Abraham 'against hope believed in hope.' Les describes this as believing against common sense. Abraham was a hundred years old and Sarah was ninety, and humanly speaking, there was no way for them to have a child. Yet Abraham did not treat his body or Sarah's womb as the final barrier. He believed the God who 'calleth those things which be not as though they were.' Genesis 15:6 says simply, 'And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.'
Yes, the Bible shows that Abraham had human reactions. In Genesis 17:17, he laughed and said, 'Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old?' and asked that Ishmael might live before God. Les notes that Abraham even feared for Ishmael's life, but God expressly answered, 'Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac.' When Sarah laughed later, the Lord said, 'Is any thing too hard for the LORD?' and promised to return at the appointed time. So Abraham's faith was not untainted, but his heart was fixed on God's covenant.
Les emphasizes that the length of the delay and the impossibility of the circumstances do not change God's promise. He says, 'What God promises, He is not going to let fail.' Abraham's experience shows that faith can be tested by waiting, and believers can be tempted to help God out, as Abraham did with Hagar. But the answer is to believe God's Word, not to let our physical bodies or human reasoning become the limit. If God did it for Abraham, He is able to perform what He has promised.
Believing Against Hope
Les teaches that Abraham believed against hope, trusting God's promise of a son even though he was a hundred and Sarah was ninety, because God can call things that are not as though they were.
The Fifty-Year Wait
Les traces Abraham's wait from the promise at age fifty to Isaac's birth at age one hundred, showing that the long delay tested his faith but God's word was sure.
Faith Counted as Righteousness
Les highlights Genesis 15:6, where Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness, even when the promise of countless descendants seemed impossible.
Laughter and the Flesh
Les shows Abraham's human reaction of laughter and his request for Ishmael to be the heir, but God refuted him by specifically naming Isaac as the promised son.
Nothing Is Too Hard for the Lord
Les teaches that if God can do what He has already done, He can certainly give a child to a ninety-year-old woman and a hundred-year-old man; Sarah shall have a son at the appointed time.
God's Word Cannot Fail
Les emphasizes that what God promises He will not let fail, and despite Abraham's age, the promise of Isaac was valid because God said so.
Abraham's Plea for Ishmael
Les explains that Abraham feared God might take Ishmael's life, but God answered that Sarah would indeed bear Isaac and the covenant would be with him.
The Sovereign Promise of Isaac
Les underscores that the Sovereign God said, 'I will establish my covenant with him, Isaac,' making Isaac the son of promise.
Romans 4:17: (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
This verse describes the God Abraham believed, who can create life out of nothing and fulfill His promise.
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 directly shows Abraham believing God's promise when every human circumstance was against it.
Genesis 15:6: And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
It records Abraham's faith in God's promise of descendants and the righteousness credited to him.
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 reaffirms the promise specifically through Sarah, naming the promised son Isaac.
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.
The Lord reminds Abraham that nothing is impossible for Him and sets the appointed time for the promise.
According to Les Feldick's timeline, Abraham was about fifty when God first promised him a nation, and he was one hundred when Isaac was born. That's a wait of approximately fifty years. In that time he left Haran at seventy-five, and Ishmael was born when he was eighty-six.
Yes. Abraham laughed when God said he and Sarah would have a son, and he asked God to let Ishmael be the heir. Les points out that Abraham even feared for Ishmael's life, but God directly promised that Sarah would bear Isaac and that His covenant would be established with Isaac.
In Romans 4:18, Paul says Abraham 'against hope believed in hope.' Les explains this means Abraham believed against common sense: he was a hundred years old, Sarah was ninety, and the idea of a child was humanly impossible. Yet Abraham believed that God would do what He promised.
Watch the Teaching: The Truth About Grace, Faith & Abraham — Romans 4:13-25