Believing God

Believing God
Genesis 15:1-6
Pastor Aaron Robinson

Here we are at the beginning of another week of our Lenten journey, this week's prayer focus centers around believing what God is saying and doing in our current situation and circumstances. It is us believing what God says to us in those quiet moments of our lives. Us knowing that the things that God whispers in our ears will come to pass at some point. Focusing on our current circumstances can cause us to doubt what God is doing in our future but with faith we understand that delay is not denial.

In this Genesis text we meet Abram again, he has had some challenging moments but has kept the faith. We know that 10 years earlier God spoke to Abram and said leave your father's house to go to a land that I will give you and I God will make a great nation out of you. He trusted God enough to pack up and leave the safety of his father's home, journeying into unknown territory because of a promise.

In this 15th chapter of Genesis, we find Abram in conversation with God once again.  Abram has believed God enough to step out on faith but now he is wondering what God will do next, will God fulfill the promise that was made?  Abram had an active faith but now he's waiting on God to act on a promise.

God reminds Abram, that God has been his shield. If you read the previous chapters, you will understand how God has protected Abram in the midst of his journey.  He believed God's protecting power has been with him but he is seeking God’s creating. He knows that God will provide for him and his family but wants to know God will meet him in the moment.

The text tells us, Abram questioned God. He questioned God's promise on his life of making a great nation from him. Abram and Sarai did not have any children at this point, they both were up in age so they believe their window had passed. He states that my heir will be a slave born into my household, but God corrects his train of thought. God informs Abram that his seed will be as numerous as the stars and just like God can create the stars out of nothing God can create fertility in a barren situation.  The text tells us that Abram believed and was reckoned as righteous.

As we move through our Lenten journey this text reveals to us that believing in God draws us closer to righteousness. It doesn't make us perfect; it doesn't mean we won't make mistakes nor does it imply that we will always make the right decisions. Our righteousness is found in believing what God is saying to us and acting on that word. I know some of us have a difficult time believing God because we can't always see, touch or taste what God is doing in the present moment. I believe three things helped Abram believe what God was saying, he listened to God, he learned from his experiences with God, and he let go of conventional thought.

Abram listened to what God was saying too him. To truly listen to God, we must know the voice of God. How do we know the voice of God by constantly being in conversation with God in our prayer lives. Not just prayers that talk to God but prayers that listen for what God is saying.  Are we truly listening to what God is saying to us?  Are we being silent enough to hear what thus says the Lord?

Next, I believe that Abram learned from his experiences with God.  He believed God was his shield because he knew that on his journey God had protected him from those who meant him harm. Abram had put himself in some compromising situations that could have caused his demise but if it had not been for the Lord on his side, we don't know what would have happened.  To be a sojourner in those days was a dangerous undertaking but God had walked with Abram, God kept him.  How often do we reflect on past experiences and see God's footprint in them carrying us. If we truly took account of our experience with God, it would help us to believe what God is saying to us.  Experience is sometimes the best teacher.
 
Finally, he let go of conventional thought. When he believed that God would give him an heir that was from him, he was believing that God is a God of impossible possibilities.  Conventional thought in his day was that he was too old, chronological time was against him.  He let go of this notion and understood that God is not just a God of chronological time but also Kairos time. God is a God that shows up and does what is needed at the right time. In God's timing all things are possible. When we realize how God moves, we will let go of conventional thought because God is unconventional.

Prayer:  
Most gracious and merciful God, we thank you for all that you've done all that you are doing. Thank you for being our shield. We believe but now we ask that you help regardless of our unbelief.  Help us not to lose sight of your plan for our lives and the promise that you've made to us. Give us when we move of course and guide us back to your perfect plan for us. Amen and Asé