The Tenses of Faith
"I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3)."
We live in an age of immediate gratification. We are conditioned to be high on expectations, but short on patience. I wonder how many of us are willing to commit the time and the energy and the patience necessary to develop a meaningful relationship with God.
There are three tenses to our relationship with God. This is seen clearly in the life of Abraham as it was recorded in today's scripture passages. (Genesis 12:1-8). The three tenses are past, present, and future. Each one reflects a different aspect of our relationship with God.
I. Past - Covenant
When Abraham was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him. “I am almighty God; walk before me and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you and will multiply you exceedingly”. Ge. 17:1-2
To a great extent, in any relationship, yesterday has a vital influence on today and tomorrow. Particularly in a relationship that requires trust, the tone for the relationship is determined by that which has already been done.
In today's scripture passage, we read of the covenant between God and Abraham. As that covenant was established, Abraham raised a question about God's promise to bless him with an heir. When God called Abraham, God promised, "I will make you a great nation; and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing" (Genesis 12:2).
Time had passed and Abraham was beginning to wonder about that promise. He was beginning to doubt. Isn't that how many of us may feel during our times of trouble? Time erodes our inner faith about the things God is doing in our lives. We get impatient. If God doesn't work fast enough to our own timing, we question whether or not God is even doing anything.
Look at how God responded to Abraham. God told Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. God assured that promise with a reminder of all that He had done for Abraham. God said, "I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess" (Genesis 15:7).
In other words, God was saying that He had already brought Abraham this far, why would Abraham lose confidence now? God reminded Abraham that in the past God had always been faithful, keeping promises and fulfilling them. That gave power and credibility to God's assurance that God would indeed bless Abraham with an heir.
Any time Israel began to wonder about whether or not God would deliver on God's promises, God would raise up a prophet or a messenger to remind God's people of all the ways God had been faithful in the past.
The earliest form of worship, for the people of Israel, focused on offering praise to God for God's many acts of faithfulness. As they worshiped, they would identify the specific acts through which God had shown faithfulness. They would remember, and they would praise God for God's faithfulness. As they did so, their faith was quickened, and their worship left them with a greater sense of hopefulness regarding what God might do in their midst. Remembering the past always empowers God's people to be hopeful about what might come next.
If we will take the time to pause and reflect on our lives, we too will see God's presence. God is faithful. When Abraham came to a point that he had doubts about God, God reminded Abraham of God's past faithfulness. When we have doubts in our own faith experiences, we too need to look back. It is when we look back that we can clearly see that God has been faithful to us.
By remembering the past, we are better able to see the blessings we now enjoy, and we are able to look to the future with a great sense of hope.
If we are tempted to doubt God's presence or His will in our lives, we must remember the past. By remembering God's faithfulness in the past, we will be able to respond in the present and the future to God's goodness to us. 2 Tim.2:13.
II. Present - Faith
Margaret Storm Jameson, the English author, once expressed the view that we all spend too much time living in the past, feeling regret for lost joys or shame for things badly done. Even when our minds turn to the future, she said, we spend an unnecessary amount of time longing for it or dreading it. She said, "The only way to live is to accept each minute as an unrepeatable miracle . . . Work at your work. Play at your play. Shed your tears. Enjoy your laughter. Now is the time of your life." - Margaret Storm Jameson
Do not focus too long on the past or the future and forget the present. For in our present, God is with us and He calls us to believe in Him. God is consistently in pursuit of us. But we must respond to God's call. Only then can we experience a relationship with God that is meaningful.
“And [Abraham] believed in the LORD, and [God] accounted it to him for righteousness.” Genesis 15:6 And Paul also says, in Romans 4:3 “For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
The point of remembering the past is that it enables us to deal with the present in a more effective manner. Celebrating the past faithfulness of God empowers us to trust in the will of God for today, our present.
In fact, it is because of our past history with God that we are able to go forward in life with confidence. People of faith are able to embrace the challenges of life, because they have the absolute assurance that they do not walk alone.
In spite of the darkness in the time of grief, we know the comfort and the strength that comes from the presence of the Lord in our time of need. King David expressed it so powerfully in these words, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me" (Psalm 23:4).
Consider how this assurance is offered to Abraham. God says, "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great" (Genesis 15:1). And Abraham believed. He trusted in this promise of God, not because he had proof, but because of the blessings God had done before.
Sometimes we underestimate God's ability to provide for us. In fact, there are times that we seek God's blessing in the form of small problems. But God's reward goes beyond our limited expectations, and we find ourselves rewarded to the deepest level. But God's reward only comes to those who trust.
III. Tomorrow - Hope
Learn from yesterday, live today, hope for tomorrow- Albert Einstein.
“Faith has to do with things that are not seen, and hope with things that are not in hand.” - Saint Thomas Aquinas
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” Hebrews 11:8
In one sense, the tenses of our faith are levels in our spiritual walk with God. When we grow in our faith, we are able to move into deeper levels of growth and fulfillment in our relationship with God.
When we have experienced God's goodness in the past, we are able to trust in God's promises for the present. When we have received the reward of walking in faith in the present, we are able to look to the future with hope and joy.
Abraham was promised that he would be taken to the promised land and his descendants would be as plentiful as the stars in the sky. In other words, Abraham’s life in the future would not be constrained by the life he had already known. Abraham's future was limited only by the degree of his faith in God to fulfill all God had promised.
It is important at this point to remember how Abraham's relationship with God began. It began at God's initiative. It began with God calling Abraham and telling him to leave his homeland and his family (Genesis 12:1). God promised Abraham many things, but it required that Abraham respond in obedience. While this entire journey of faith hinged on Abraham's response, it was initiated by God. God had a purpose for calling Abraham into a relationship, and God has a purpose for calling us into a relationship today. If you believe in that initial saving purpose, then you can step forward, trusting that God will be with you each step of the journey, and that God will fulfill God's every promise.
Conclusion
For each one of us, there are three tenses in our relationship with God. The past points to yesterday. It reminds us of God's faithfulness and all the times which He has provided for all of our needs.
The present points to God's presence with us right now. Sometimes we need help to see God in our midst, but understand God is here. God loves us and cares for us. When we learn to trust in God's care, we discover the joy and peace God always intended for us.
The future points to that which lies ahead for all of us. God has promised to provide for us and to carry us even into the next life. Our future with God is not limited by what we have known in this world. But our trust in that future, which is secured by our experience of God's goodness and faithfulness in every step of our journey.
God's promise to Abraham goes with us, even now. "Fear not ... I am your shield; your reward shall be very great" (Genesis 15:1)." Amen.
