¹⁷ As it is recorded in the Scriptures, “I have appointed you the father of many nations.”^[a] In the presence of the God who creates out of nothing and holds the power to bring to life what is dead, Abraham believed and so became our father.

¹⁸ Against the odds, Abraham’s hope grew into full-fledged faith that he would turn out to be the father of many nations, just as God had promised when He said, “That’s how many your descendants will be.”^{[b] 19} His faith did not fail, although he was well aware that his impotent body, after nearly 100 years, was as good as dead and that Sarah’s womb, too, was dead.