Abraham Struggles with Faith: Even The “Father of Faith” Struggled

Abraham’s Struggles with Faith: What We Can Learn from the Times He Lied About Sarah

In this reading from Genesis, we learn how Abraham struggles with faith. Have you ever made a fearful decision—even when you knew what was right? Maybe it was staying quiet when you should have spoken up. Or bending the truth to protect yourself. If so, you’re in good company—even Abraham, the father of faith, struggled in this way.

Yes, even Abraham struggled with faith. He had moments of doubt and fear just like we do. And the Bible doesn’t hide this from us.

Let’s take a closer look at two stories where Abraham, afraid for his life, told the same half-truth about his wife Sarah—not once, but twice. And, we’ll see what it reveals about struggles with faith, fear, and God’s incredible grace.

The First Lie Abraham Told: Egypt (Genesis 12:10–20)

Just after God calls Abraham (then Abram) and promises to make him into a great nation, a famine drives him down to Egypt. Worried the Egyptians will kill him to take his beautiful wife, he says:

“Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well for me because of you, and that I may live on account of you.” — Genesis 12:13 NASB

Sure enough, Pharaoh takes Sarah into his palace. But God intervenes, afflicts Pharaoh’s household with plagues, and Abraham and Sarah are sent away unharmed.

The Second Lie: Gerar (Genesis 20:1–18)

Years later, Abraham repeats the same fearful strategy in Gerar. He tells King Abimelech that Sarah is his sister. Once again, God steps in to protect her, and rebukes Abimelech in a dream.

Abraham tries to justify himself:

“I said it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’” — Genesis 20:11 NASB

He even adds that Sarah is technically his half-sister (Genesis 20:12), but this doesn’t erase the fact that he deliberately misled others to protect himself.

What These Stories Tell Us About Abraham—and the Struggles with Faith

These two accounts aren’t just historical events; they are spiritual mirrors. Even someone as faithful as Abraham had moments of fear, control, and doubt. That’s important for us to see.

1. Fear Sometimes Overrides Faith

Abraham wasn’t lying for fun. He was scared—terrified, in fact—that he’d be killed. But instead of trusting God’s promise to protect him and bless him, he took matters into his own hands.

Sound familiar?

How often do we do the same thing? Maybe we fudge the truth on a resume. Or avoid telling someone we’re Christians because we’re afraid they’ll reject us. Fear can push us into faithless decisions.

2. Faith Is a Journey, Not a One-Time Event

Abraham didn’t get it right every time. His struggles with faith show that spiritual growth takes time. God didn’t abandon Abraham after his failure. Instead, He continued to guide, correct, and bless him.

That reassures us! Our walk with God is not about being perfect—it’s about trusting Him more each day.

3. God’s Grace Covers Our Weakness

What’s most amazing is that God doesn’t give up on Abraham. In fact, in the New Testament, Abraham is still held up as a model of faith (see Romans 4:20–22). His fear didn’t define him—God’s grace did.

With Struggles in Faith, How Can We Apply This to Our Lives?

So how can we take this story of Abraham’s struggles and use it today? Use these three suggestions:

1. Be honest about your fear. God isn’t surprised by it. Bring your doubts and worries to Him in prayer.
2. Trust the promises more than the problems. Yes, Abraham had a promise, but fear clouded his memory. When you’re tempted to act out of fear, remind yourself: What God says is true.
3. Know that grace is bigger than your mistakes. Like Abraham, you and I will fail. We may even repeat the same failure. But God is patient. He is faithful, even when we are not.

Even “Spiritual Giants” Fail–So Will We But…

Abraham’s struggles with faith remind us that even spiritual giants are just people. Remember this;

• People sometimes operate out of fear.
• Even famous people mess up.
• And we are all still learning to trust.

But God still used Abraham to build a nation and bless the world. He can use us too—even in our weakness. In fact, especially in our weakness.

“If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” — 2 Timothy 2:13 NASB

So take heart. We’re on a journey, just like Abraham. And God walks with us every step of the way.

In Christ,

Bob

Looking for More?
Check back for more Bible studies and insights on walking through everyday life with bold, honest faith.