A Seed of Hope

"And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying,' This one shall not be your heir, but the one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.' Then He brought him outside and said, 'Look now toward heaven and count the stars if you are able to number them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants be.'" Genesis 15:4-5 NKJV

Has God ever planted a small seed of hope deep within the inner recesses of your heart and mind?  Often times left to grow and mature as you walk through doubt and longings ... and yet, it grows- that hope hidden so well.  Potential, in Him, is a fierce encourager of faith.  He enables us to be so much more than our minds could dream if we but grasp Him and trust.    Abram knew this... a dream of a new land led him from home and the hope of an heir will be planted deep within.  A dream so large that the night sky could not hold it. 

Join me in Genesis chapter 15.....
"After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. Then He said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.” And he said, “Lord God, how shall I know that I will inherit it?” So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two.... Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates—" (Genesis 15:1-10, 13-18 NKJV)

As much as God had blessed Abram, he still felt afraid. Perhaps the threat of a retaliation from the king he had defeated loomed over him, but God once again reminded Abram of who he was... the chosen one to birth a great nation.  My friend, sometimes I forget who I am in Christ and fear begins to plague me, but I am a chosen daughter of the KING.... an heir bought by the blood of the SON.  I have value and worth to Him and He will not abandon me.... He will not abandon you either.

God reminds Abram of all that He has promised to give him, and yet a deep hurt surfaces. Abram reminds the Lord that he has no heir to pass all this land down to because Sarai was barren.  I almost sense the deep cutting hurt of it all.... no heir.... a faithful servant would gain all that God would give.  Can you feel the grief in his words?  Then God plants a seed of hope.... an heir.... born of his flesh.  Could it be?  How many times had he hoped and dreamed for that very thing?  God had him look to the stars in the sky, and Abram's promise in the Lord held more than them.  Abram believed.  Oh, dear friend, what if we believed?  What if we took God at His word and desperately believed Him?  Would we see a potential that outnumbered the stars we see in our night sky?

As a symbol of God's faithfulness regarding all that had been promised, the Lord cut a covenant with Abram.  This process of sacrificing animals for a legal contract was common at that time especially if it was one of a serious nature.  It was symbolic of saying that, if broken, bloodshed would be poured out on the one who broke the contract.  In a sense, God was saying, "I will sign a contract with you and settle this issue once and for all."  My friend, He has signed a blood contract with us too.  The blood of Jesus Christ spilled for our sins, signed the contract for our redemption and seals our promise and potential in Him.  We have no need for worry- what He started in us, He will finish! 

What seed of hope is planted deep within your soul?  Trust God, to grow and mature it for His glory and in His perfect timing.  Until then, seek Him daily and rest in the promise He has for you!

Blessings!