Scripture:

“Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.’

 

But Abram replied, ‘O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.’

 

Then the Lord said to him, ‘No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.’ Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, ‘Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!’ And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.” Genesis 15:1-6 (NLT)

Perspective:

God sent Abram, later known as Abraham, a promise about his future. In Genesis 13, God had already promised Abraham the land as his inheritance as far as he could see. God said, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession.  And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted! Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you” (Genesis 13:14-17 NLT).  However, Abraham’s circumstances hadn’t changed. While Abraham could walk through the land, Abraham knew that God’s blessing would be short-lived if he had no one as an heir. But, God was promising that his descendants would be so numerous that they couldn’t be counted. Abraham probably looked around at the reality that he had no children and thought God surely meant something different. To help God in deciphering his plan, Abraham recognized that an appointed heir must be the answer. But Abraham’s answer wasn’t God’s answer. God’s promise came to Abraham when there was no evidence of its fulfillment. Every night the stars would serve as a reminder of the promise, but it was up to Abraham to believe God and take Him at His Word. 

 

 

Have you ever felt like you were waiting on a promise? Years later, we can wonder if God really meant what he said. When time has passed, we can interpret God’s timeframe as a sign of unfaithfulness. Yet, every promise comes with possibility when God promises it. You may have received a promise from the Lord, and you haven’t seen the fulfillment. It can be tempting to think that surely God meant something different and start manipulating circumstances to achieve the fulfillment of God’s promise on our terms. If God promised it, trust Him to fulfill it. He is faithful. The Lord’s promise to Abraham was greater than Abraham could even understand. God’s promises usually require a miracle that only He can give. When we believe God, we take hold of the future God has for us by faith even when what we see is different. You may need to have a reminder in your life of God’s promise. As the stars were a reminder to Abraham, may God give you a reminder of His promise and faithfulness today.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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About Hona Amer

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