Image from preceptaustin.org
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.’ But Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ And Abram said, ‘You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.’ But the word of the Lord came to him, ‘This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.’ He brought him outside and said, ‘Look towards heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.Then he said to him, ‘I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.’ But he said, ‘O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?’ He said to him, ‘Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon.’ He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him. When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire-pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, (Genesis 15: 1-12, 17-18)
A happy Wednesday to you, dear Friend! May I take a moment to say how wonderful it is to have you as a reader of this devotional? I pray that through God's word, through our time together you might find hope and peace. If you feel down or discouraged, and need someone to talk to, please talk to your pastor or someone whom you trust, and share how you're feeling. Or, if you know someone who's feeling low or sad, please reach out to them with words of hope. A pastor in San Angelo, Pastor Scott Bradford, after reading this devotional shared there have been many suicides in that city as well. Friends, life came that we might have life, and that in abundance! (John 10:10). Share a word of life with someone today!
Who would have thought that God would visit a card-carrying AARP member to ask him to become the Father of the Faith? You might think, "Lord, You have a strange way of doing things!" Your Son is to be born in a stable and have as his crib a feed trough? And You want the world to know about you from someone about to check into The Heights Nursing Home? Well, God does work in mysterious ways. And usually these ways are unexplainable! But, rest assured that God knows what He is doing. God can take the least likeliest of persons and do wonderful things. And that includes you and me!
Our story is the vision God shares with Abram and his wife, Sarai. God promises a great reward and assures him that he will have an heir and it will not be his distant cousin from Damascus, with whom he had probably lost touch. God leads the old guy outside and asks him to "look towards the heaven, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." These, God told him, shall be as numerous as your descendants. Again, Abram and Sarai had bought an RV and were about ready to go see the states! They joined AAA and had a camping membership, REI had furnished their equipment, and Banana Republic (back in the day) had furnished their safari outfits. And here is God telling them the day is coming when they would have to buy matching t-shirts that would say ABRAM & SARAI FAMILY REUNION! And this to be held in Disney World.
God meant business because He enters into a covenant with Abram; a very serious holy contract, where Abram provided the animals, sacrificed them, and then God works the wonders of the covenant as described in the passage. The symbol of fire going through the sacrificed animals sealing the deal God was making with this man. And with it, the promise of new land, a new territory, where he and his family would live. We have visited Abraham before the name change, but already he is declared a father, and Sarah as mother; both of the faith and of those descendants too numerous to count.
What is God asking of you? You're as much a child of the covenant as Abram or Sarai, and whatever God may be asking of you can be possible, if you would be trust God.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, visit us with Your peace and promise. May we respond in faith to the tasks at hand. We want to be a part of the growth of Your kingdom here on the earth; we want to increase Your territory; grant us those opportunities. This we pray in faith, in Christ Jesus' powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Share a word of life with someone today!
Eradio Valverde
Here is Chapter 15 of the Gospel of Mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzR-Ra9lqcs&t=13s
