Trust. It can be challenging to trust in promises that won’t be fulfilled immediately or within a short period of time. Waiting for a promise to be fulfilled years or decades or centuries in the future can test our resilience and patience. Abraham lived with that challenge.
God promised Abraham (Abram) that he would make him into a great nation. The promise came when Abraham was seventy-five years old. We learn that Abraham lived another one-hundred years after God promised Abraham would become a great nation.
Throughout those one-hundred years, Abraham had his ups and downs. He and Sarah tried to take matters into their own hands, which did not turn out well. Abraham twice lied about Sarah being his wife in order to save his own life, not trusting God to protect him. In both cases, each ruler who had taken Sarah in later asked Abraham why he would curse them.
Abraham, despite his missteps, is considered to be an example of faith in God. He grew in his faith as time passed and he experienced God caring for him. Perhaps his most pointed to example of faith is when he passed the test of taking his only son Isaac to sacrifice him. He believed God would either raise Isaac from the dead or provide a substitute sacrifice.
Is our faith growing? Are we trusting God’s promises? God has promised he will care for us. He has promised eternal life. For many of us, that is years or decades away. Do we trust God to deliver on his promise? Do our lives demonstrate our faith? Or are we filled with fear, anxiety, and worry rather than living confidently in God’s promise? Just like Abraham, we can choose to trust in God or take matters into our own hands. The more we trust in God, the more we see him acting on our behalf.
I pray we all trust in God’s promises. I pray our faith grows as we experience God in many ways throughout our lives. I pray each one of us live confidently in God’s promises. Trust God’s promises. Grow in your faith. Experience God working on your behalf. Live confidently.
Genesis 12:2-3 “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Marty Pressey 