Climbing With Abraham: 7 Days Of FaithSample

Here the Lord reiterates His promises to Abraham, only this time with a greater magnitude. Abraham is promised all the land he can see, from the mountains to the waters and every valley in between. Furthermore, he is promised an innumerable number of descendants to inhabit it. God then urges him to walk through the land. Abraham follows His directions and responds by building an altar to worship God.

It’s inspiring to see Abraham get such a powerful and direct promise from God. But for anyone who knows how the rest of the story goes, it’s also incredibly frustrating. 

Abraham had to wait decades until his son Isaac was born. And of all the land he was promised, he only ends up legally owning a fraction of one percent of it by his death – for which he was probably overcharged. 

Anyone reading this story with an honest heart has to ask the question, Why is God so slow, or bad, at keeping His promises? It’s not a subject we like to address, but it’s one every one of us as Christians will face in our lives…when will God step in and do something?

If the story of Abraham reminds us of any truth, it’s that God’s plans are always incomprehensibly larger than our own. God didn’t make promises to Abraham because He just wanted to help the guy out. God brought Abraham into an extraordinary epic: the salvation of mankind. 

God’s promises to the single man of Abraham were meant to bring about much more than Abraham could ever imagine – descendants who grew into the nation of Israel, the Israelite who birthed the Son of God, the Christ who died and rose and will return for his bride, the Church.

God cares for you intimately, but is never thinking of only you. His plans are always bigger than us, and that is for our ultimate good.

Takeaway: It’s okay to get frustrated when God doesn’t seem to be keeping His promises. He’s working on something big and has not forgotten about you.

Prayer: God, thank You for keeping Your promises. Please give me the patience and faith to know that You are at work, and that I can trust Your ultimate plan for me.