We have all had those moments when we hear one thing, but our minds believe another. Our temptation is to ignore what doesn’t make sense or to force it to make sense. Even if we are not active in our attempt, our minds are trying to resolve the conflict. What do you do when something doesn’t line up in your mind? In your experience? Or maybe even your gut? We all do something.
Abram did something. Abram asked questions. God was saying one thing and Abram was experiencing another. God promised Abram offspring and descendants, yet he was still childless. God repeated his promise, yet Abram’s situation stayed the same. After God repeated himself again saying, “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great,” Abram replied, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless?” (Genesis 15:1–2).
God, in his patience and graciousness, repeated himself and got even more specific. He said, “your very own son shall be your heir. . . . Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them. . . . So shall your offspring be” (Genesis 15:4–5). It says that Abram believed the Lord, and God counted it to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). Abram’s belief was aligned with God’s ways.
We all need echoes, or reminders, of God’s faithfulness. We get discouraged, we get weary in waiting, and we question who God is and what he will do. God welcomes our honesty, our questions, and our weariness. He sees our humanity, and he meets us in our frailty. Sometimes we are afraid to question God aloud. We may not have friends who let us question God. But God allows us to ask, to express, and to be honest with him about our confusion and discouragement.
And he is gracious to give us these reminders. We see them in the life of Abram, the lives of others in Scripture, and even in the life of Jesus. We need reminders, and God does not get upset that we ask. He is gracious to give.
As we learned earlier, God moves toward action and makes a promise (Genesis 15:7–21). Abram didn’t have to do anything, and he didn’t have to make sense of it all. God would completely and unilaterally take care of these promises. God would line it all up.
If something doesn’t line up then I tend to dismiss it as, I must’ve been wrong or I misunderstood. Abram’s story shows me that it’s okay to come back to God and ask for clarification, that I can be honest and question what doesn’t seem to line up and that that’s okay. I’m not sinful in asking God more questions but I do need to then stop and listen.
When I am tempted to respond I try to resolve it. I want to answer or get the solution. This part in Abrams story reminds me to be patient. I like Abram is struggling with becoming a parent when I am constantly hearing whispering to wait.
This really is teaching me to stop and listen before responding and to be patient with the response.
I am huge on schedule! so when something does not line up or throws me off schedule I notice it affects my emotions because I can not control it. (this is something I am working through) Abram’s story encourages me to let go and let God in schedule in life challenges and trust that all is working for my good and the good of my family, and also to celebrate the small victories and thank God for the unseen victories
When something doesn’t line up in my life, I am very tempted to fix it myself and align it my way. Usually, this does not work out at all and I end up right back where I should have been in the first place – surrendering to God. This part of Abram’s story encourages me to ask God questions, and not try to leave Him out of the mix. It encourages me to pursue what He is trying to tell me when things don’t line up, rather than trying to fix it all myself.