Take 2: Abraham and Sarah

Do you ever have a conversation then immediately think, "I wish I would've said that?" I feel that way almost every Sunday. So this blog will be a place where I share things that I wish I would have said or things that were cut from the sermon because of timing or flow or word count.

In Genesis 12, the focus moves from God and the world to God and the family of Abraham. The promise God makes to Abraham--to give him a family and land--is foundational to the story of Israel. God is going to bless Abraham and his future family so that they will be a blessing to the world.

But Sarah is barren. And that's the tension. How are they going to have a baby? They're old. It seems impossible.

God likes to confront the impossible.

Genesis 15:1-6 is a story with a sense of non-fulfillment. Abraham has been given a promise, but that promise has not happened yet.

God goes to Abraham and says, "Don't be afraid. I'm your shield." Rather than praise, Abraham responds with pity. "I don't have what you've promised me. I still don't have a child." 

At this point in the story God has been blessing Abraham. God has been with him. But Abraham was so focused on what he wanted that he couldn't see how God was leading him, protecting him, and working in his life--all signs pointing to the promise.

Now, when God is speaking to him, Abraham is not a model of faith. His words are full of doubt. So what does God do? God says nothing to Abraham's protest. God listens. God lets Abraham speak his mind and voice his anxieties and frustrations.

Don't we have the tendency to live in fear and anxiety? This story shows us that God meets us where we are. He doesn't discredit our feelings. He reassures us.

Then God leads Abraham outside and tells him to look at the stars. God promises Abraham that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the night sky. An impossible sounding promise.

God confronts the impossible with the impossible.

Abraham wants one child. God's plan is bigger. We see God wants to comfort and to overwhelm with love.

Let's end with a note about the "reckoned" in verse 6: Abraham hasn't done anything righteous. He hasn't earned a reward. He trusts and--even with all his doubts--God gives him credit for it. This is a moment of grace.

So even though we may not be able to follow God perfectly, God truly sees us. He sees our anxieties and our intentions, and God can give us credit for the best in us.

Dear friends, let God work. Life is not always about acting. Sometimes life is about trusting. Let's learn to rest into the promise.