Genesis 15-16; Psalm 9

Read: Genesis 15-16 / Psalm 9

Verse chosen for meditation: 

Genesis 15:1 NIV

"After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward."

Reflect

How would you feel if one day you had a vision like that? What would stand out most for you in the vision? Do you think that God is acting rather randomly here? What do you think was Abram's initial response to the vision? How would you have responded? Did the promise unfold as smoothly as expected?

These questions deserve some mulling over. The plain fact is that no two persons are likely to come up with the same response to some of the questions asked. Although when it comes to dealing with promises from the Lord, we would all probably fall into the same category by sharing almost similar thoughts. That it will be plain sailing all the way with everything mapped out and taken care of. If that's the case, we'll be in for a surprise.

Relate

I don't know about you, but I would be ecstatic with my imaginations going into overdrive, much like an excited kid staying up all night to unwrap the mystery gift first thing in the morning. This is especially so when the hype surrounding the gift is great. 

Abram could have felt the same way. But he needed to check with God first on the facts since he was getting on in years, and so was his wife, Sarah. It was hard for him to reconcile the promise he had just heard and his own physical state. But when the confusion was settled, he was ready to put his trust in God, only to find out that it was not as smooth as he had thought. Neither were the signs in his favour as he had expected.

It is helpful at this point to note that God often begins his promise with the instruction: 'Do not be afraid.' For he understands the deep anxieties and fears confronting us. He had said it to Joshua soon after he took over the mantle of leadership from Moses, and to the shepherds minding their flocks on the night Christ was born. 

He might also be wanting to put his audience at ease because of the apparent randomness of his appearance, which would have caught them by surprise. However, I would beg to think that they were trembling more at the sound of his voice than being startled. For this is the right posture to receive his Word (Isaiah 66: 2).

In the next chapter, as the story unfolds, we begin to see engineering on the part of Sarah in helping to fulfil the promise of God according to her own understanding. But she's not alone here. We've probably acted like her before. For what does one do when God seems not to be answering prayers, or when he is slow in making the promises come true? The most viable alternative would be to help ourself, and who knows, even help God in the process. But the alternative will always remain as the alternative since it's an action that's not born of God's doing. The alternative is, therefore, not God's will. Neither is it his promise.

Having been schooled in what is known as the 'school of hard knocks', I've learned precious lessons on waiting. That it is better than rushing, or bulldozing our way, or manipulating the situation to get what we want, even if it's a promise from God. For no engineering by whatever means would justify the actions that we take upon ourselves. They just show our severe lack of trust in God.

Therefore, it takes faith and courage to traverse the road ahead, which is not going to be smooth simply because God has our backs and mapped everything out. But take heart, though it ain't smooth, it's oh - so sure.

Rest

Lord, we thank you for your word of promise. We are excited by its possibilities. Each of them, they blow our minds. We rightfully tremble at your Word. Teach us to wait on you, to trust only in you, and not even in our own understanding. For even though the going is tough, we can rest assured in the sureness of your promise.

Naville Chia