September 20th, 2020
Devotional
“Stepping out in Faith”
Genesis 15: 1-6
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Monday: “Vision” - Genesis 15:1
Proverbs 29:18 states, that where there is no vision, the people parish. Yet, its not just where there is no vision that we perish, but when we don’t have God’s vision, don’t live into who God wants us to be, then we end up in serious trouble.
The Bible is filled with stories of people who seek the will of God, and people who go their own way. One person who certainly did a little bit of both was Abraham. Abram. We find the story of Abraham in the book of Genesis. Where God comes to him and tells him that he will make him a great nation, with offspring more numerous than the stars. But God also asks something great of Abraham, for him to leave his land and his family and his father’s house in order to go to the land that God would show to him.
What vision has God put on your heart?
Prayer: God, we thank you for your call to obedience on our lives and in our hearts. Thank you for giving us your vision to follow, all for the sake of your Kingdom. Amen.
Tuesday: “Eliezer” - Genesis 15:2
The problem with the vision of God is sometimes we are so limited by our human nature, that we can only imagine our own ways to get there. God is promising something great to Abram, but his first thought is that it must be coming through a way other than a son. Maybe it will be through his servant Eliezer.
At another point in the text, Abram thinks the promise may be fulfilled through his wife’s servant, Hagar.
God is clear here in Genesis 15 that while it would be permissible under the law of the land to name Eliezer as the one to inherit everything of Abram’s that is not God’s plan. But God’s plan involves trusting God every step of the way, especially of Abram cannot fathom the fulfillment of the promise.
Tell of a time God did something beyond your expectations. What was that experience like for you?
Prayer: Lord, we confess that sometimes we get in the way of your promises. We try to make them happen in our own way and in our own timing and become limited by our human minds. Forgive us, O Lord, and invite us again to follow you. Amen.
Wednesday: “No Offspring” - Genesis 15:3-4
I think sometime we respond like Abraham - we laugh at God’s plans for us. At God’s vision for our church. We say in our hearts, not here, God, not us. And give our list of excuses. We don’t have enough people. We don’t have enough money. We are an aging congregation. But I think what it all boils down to, if we are honest, is that we don’t want to. We don’t buy into the vision. We are fine with how things are.
Abram’s excuse was that God hadn’t given him any offspring, so what God is saying is truly possible.
And yet, God’s vision keeps persisting. God’s plans will not give up.
How do you respond to the vision of God?
Prayer: Almighty God, forgive us for the times we have made excuses about why what you have said cannot come to pass. Forgive us for our small imaginations and small prayers. Renew in us a sense of confidence in you and you alone, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Thursday: “Stars” - Genesis 15:5
God expands the promise - taking Abram to look at the stars and saying that he would have more decedents then even these. That God was the one who led Abram out of the land of Ur and was preparing a place, a land for him to be his own.
I wish I could say that after this experience Abram got on board and he whole heartedly followed God and lived into the promise and never strayed again. But of course that wasn’t the case. He had to keep being reminded of God’s vision in order to keep following, step by step where God lead. The image of the stars became Abram’s guiding light. When he focused on it, even if he couldn’t understand it, his purpose was clear. When he turned his eyes away, he often acted in ways that were outside of the will of God.
What about us? What is our guiding light? What is our vision and purpose from God? And are we willing to follow wherever God may lead us in order to live into who God says we are to be?
Here’s the thing about God’s visions - they are often too big for us to express in our limited words. But Thomas Bandy in his book Moving Off the Mountain Top, puts it this way - “what is it about my experience with Jesus that this community cannot live without?” In other words, how is God using you and us together, to not just renew our community, but to transform it for the sake of the Kingdom of God?
What is the sign of God’s promise to you that you cling to in difficult times?
Prayer: God of Grace, you are so good to us. You give us tangible signs of visions too deep and wide for us to comprehend. Keep your vision always before us, O Lord. Amen.
Friday: “Believed” - Genesis 15:6
Sometimes when we think of Abram, the first thing that comes to our mind is that he was righteous. That he was faithful. That he even ended up in the Hall-a-fame of Faith in Hebrews. But just because Abram walked away from this experience with God and believed, doesn’t mean that he still didn’t struggle from time to time.
Abram was not counted as righteous because of his own goodness. And if we are honest, he could not be obedient on his own. Instead, Abram put his trust in God each day, which lead to his righteousness and obedience.
Each morning when we get up we have a choice to make. Am I going to follow the Lord today? Am I going to be obedient today? Let us trust God, each step of each day.
What makes obedience difficult some times in your life?
Prayer: God, sometimes we pretend that we would never be able to follow you like Abram, because we forget parts of his story. We forget his humanity. Invite us, O Lord, to have the type of faith that trusts you each day. Amen.
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