Abraham was called from the land of Ur, where the Canaanites did not know Yahweh personally. Idolatry was commonplace among Abraham’s family.
Abraham was promised a son who would eventually produce many descendants if he
responded to the Lord's call. His future ancestors would live in a land that flowed with milk and honey, a good place of peace, rest, and fellowship with the One true God.
In V15, The Lord spoke to Abraham in a vision and said, ‘I am your shield and exceeding great
reward. Do not fear moving forward, for I shall be with you.
How can we be sure where the journey of life will take us? We can be sure that the Lord is our
shield of protection and exceedingly great reward when we leave this world.
We go where God sends us with the promise that he will be our shield of protection no matter
our difficult circumstances.
So, Abraham and his wife Sarah packed up and moved forward just as God had commanded
him. However, a new issue arose: Abraham and Sarah still did not have that child of promise.
They were not getting any younger, and Sarah was beyond child-bearing years at this point.
V4, Abraham even tried to bargain with God: I see Eleazar of Damascus, my servant will be my
heir if you don’t act soon. I’m sure Eleazar's eyes lit up, and his chest puffed out when Abraham suggested he get all the possessions as heir.
Abraham would learn a critical fact of life: God does not operate by human watches.
That Apple watch on your arm is meaningless to an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent
creator of the universe. We can’t convince the Lord to look at the time and get moving!
When the burden gets heavy and our patience gets thin, we are not to lose hope in the Lord.
He said to Jeremiah, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
He may not come when you want him, but He will be there right on time because He is an on-
time God; yes, He is.
The Lord does what HE says and says what He does. His words never return, void of power.
Folks are not like that. A friend promised me he would be ready for our wedding 35 years ago.
He said he was picking up his tuxedo, and I could count on him. And the night before, he told
me he didn’t have the money to get it! I could have loaned him the money, but I felt his timing
was not good enough to leave us hanging. But God had a distant cousin who volunteered and
just happened to wear a tuxedo the same size. God’s thoughts were not my thoughts, and in
the end, it all worked out for good.
God is still working even when we think He should have moved. Abraham and Sarah saw no
baby and were beginning to wonder how the Lord could fulfill his promise.
But V6 says That Abraham still believed. We don’t always understand why we go through what we go through. Diseases, illness, sickness, and even death to us or a loved one.
Loss of a job, a toxic relationship, or folks that can’t stand us We may be broke and not have a friend to turn to, but we still believe in God. Job said it best:’ Though He slays me, I will trust in Him.’
No matter how our situation unfolds, the Lord is still the author and finisher of our faith. He shall do for us what He promised. He said I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Being broke may have been necessary for you to appreciate the future blessing. Being sick may help you appreciate your healing. A toxic relationship ended so you could grow closer to God.
Romans says, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose. Abraham, you and Sarah will have that seed of promise because I said so. I don’t care how old Sarah is; she will nurse her baby!
Abraham, you don’t need to ask if I will break my covenant with you because I have sworn by
none other than myself.
Many good people like yourself have real-life, everyday struggles. I mean it when I say we all
have one thing in common: Trials and issues occasionally come our way.
When we go through them, we wonder why it seems to take the Lord so long to help us.
Lazarus was dead for four days, and Martha said, ‘Jesus if you had been here, my brother would have lived”. If you had been here at the right time, my brother would not have died. But I also know that even now, God will give you anything you ask. Jesus said, ‘Lazarus, come out,’ and the man was back among the living.
Martha believed. And Abraham believed. Friend, will you believe and trust in the Lord despite your circumstances?
V5 said Then God brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you can number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
That’s the fundamental right there: when in doubt, look up toward Heaven, where your
exceedingly great reward is. God resides above your situation, not below it.
Psalm 115:3 says Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. And Psalm 11:4 says
The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on
earth; his eyes examine them. Don’t look down at the water like Peter did but look to Jesus. He will reach out toward you, pull you up while you are sinking, and ask why you doubt me.
V6 says Abraham believed in God, and it was accounted as Righteousness!
Righteousness: The Hebrew word does not refer to a behavioral attribute, as we commonly
think. It means one who follows the correct path, which is God's way.
Ancient Hebrews like Abraham were nomads in the Near East. Traveling to a distant land was
dangerous, and getting lost was not an option. Nomads were in danger of invaders killing them and their families. This was the situation that Abraham faced when going to a faraway land.
And today, we must stay on the Godly path so that we don’t get defeated by the enemy.
Righteousness means we follow the Lord and believe in Him.
Abraham went this far with God, believing He could still bring him a child of promise.
His Faith brought him down the Godly path of righteousness. Even when the enemy came, the
Lord gave him strength to defeat them.
Abraham believed in the Lord according to His word. Even when Isaac was born, Abraham believed that God would keep His word. The Hebrew writer said that Abraham when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice by faith.
He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though
God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”
He reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so, in a manner of speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. And one day, God would offer his only Begotten Son, Named Jesus. He sacrificed His life for those who believed in Him.
And God raised his son three days later from the dead. And He rose with all power in His hands. Do you believe that God will see you through? Do you believe that Jesus is seated on the right hand? When the storms come, Jesus said Fear not, it is I. And he said, Peace, be still
When we believe in Jesus, there is peace to be found. When we believe in the Lord, we walk down a Godly Path. The devil may mean it for Evil, but God shall mean it for good!
My friend, believe, and you shall receive all that is good and meant for your blessings.
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