Abraham

 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.   Genesis 17.5

Abram heard his name whispered in the warm wind.

The Lord commanded Abram to leave his home and travel to a new land. God would be with Abram and be his guide. He promised to make Abram a great nation and a blessing to all the families of the earth. Abram took his wife, Sarai, to Canaan, where the childless and aging couple waited with faith.

Decades of waiting caused Abram to question God’s promise. Doubt and fear took over his faith. Abram and Sarai made their plan for a child, but Ishmael was not the son of promise. Yet God was with Abram, even in his faithless act. God renamed Abram, ‘But your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.’  In his waiting, God transformed Abraham’s heart, preparing him to become the father of many nations with descendants as numerous as the stars. Kings were his legacy.

Keeping faith while waiting for God is hard. Trusting in God’s character and His revealed Word is required. Faith that depends on circumstances and desired outcomes misses God’s heart-transforming work. Abraham’s promised son, Isaac, was the foreshadowing of God’s promised Son, Jesus. God is with us.

Lord, when waiting makes me doubt, remind me of Your faithful love. Help my heart believe Your promises. In Jesus' name, Amen.

The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.”    Galatians 3.8