Abram keeping faith

Laura Digan September 05, 2022 0 1

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Genesis 15: 1-6 (NRSVA)

1 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.’ 2 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?’ 3 And Abram said, ‘You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.’ 4 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.’ 5 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.’ 6 And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.

Reader note: This week Laura takes us through the story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar with some hard-hitting monologues and reflections that explore some darker and more sensitive themes of the stories of these complex characters.

ABRAM: “I had followed God’s call to the land of Canaan. It was still occupied and there was famine but the Lord appeared to me and told me: ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’

I believed that promise from the Lord. I’ve held onto it.

But it has been hard.

I was traveling with my nephew Lot. But the land couldn’t support us both. So he went his way and I went mine. After this the Lord came to me again and promised the land for my descendants. So may descendants as the dust of the earth.

I believed that promise from the Lord. I’ve held onto it.

But it has been hard lately. I found out Lot had been taken captive and so me and the men of my household had to go up against four kings, to fight and save Lot. We defeated King Kedorlaomer and retrieved Lot but the other three kings all sided with Kedorlaomer. I did wonder more than once if I'd get out of this situation alive.

I’ve held onto the Lord’s promise but as time goes by it is hard to keep believing. I’m an old man, my wife is barren. I’ve been thinking that I’ll have to make my trusted servant Eliezer of Damascus my heir. Will the promised descendants have to come through him?

But the Lord has come to me again and has again promised me descendants. I’ll have an heir coming from my own body, this old body. And I’ll have as many descendants as the stars in the sky.

I don’t know how the Lord is going to do it, but I believe him.”

PRAYER:

Lord,

When life gets tough,

When trouble seems to be coming from all sides

Help us to keep our trust in you

To keep hold of the promises you have made

To keep faith