Abraham had the faith to leave his homeland and settle in an unfamiliar land (Heb. 11:8-9). But even though God had given him a promise that He would make of him "a great nation" by giving him offspring as numerous as the sand on the seashore (Gen. 12:1-2), his wife Sarah remained barren for many years (16:1).

Because of this, Abraham took Sarah's suggestion to have a child with her servant Hagar (vv.2-4). But God reaffirmed His promise that He would give Abraham and Sarah a son of their own (17:15-22). They had to learn to wait by faith for God to fulfill His promise (Gen. 21:1-3; Heb. 11:11).

Believers in Christ face a similar test of faith. We know that God wants to produce spiritual offspring through us, but we may be spiritually barren--sometimes after years of knowing the Lord as Savior and trying to witness for Christ. It's as if we say, "I am barren. I cannot have children." We may become discouraged and have such little faith that we won't even witness to others.

Speaking out for Christ is ultimately a matter of faith. The same God who promised Abraham he would have a child has told us to proclaim the gospel (Mt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). As we do that, we can trust Him for the results.  — David C. Egner