We have been talking about having confidence during certain times in our lives--confidence when fear surrounds us, and confidence during conflicting times. Today I want to look at being confident in times of uncertainty. If anyone knows about uncertainty, it's our world today. You all know what I'm talking about.
The year 2020 started out pleasantly enough. Everything seemed to be going along as usual. But it became the most unsettling year, the year of uncertainty. It seemed our entire world came to a halt. Theaters, professional sporting arenas, schools, shopping malls, churches, restaurants, and even hair salons were among the many businesses that had to close their doors for a season due to the covid-19 pandemic.
As the number of positive cases continued to increase across the country, so did the spread of skepticism and division. The news we heard one day seemed to conflict with the news from the day before. It was hard to know what to believe or what would happen next. On top of the deadly virus, we saw 20/20 at political and racial tensions as well.
The year 2020 created the perfect storm of uncertainty. When things in life seem to be unstable, how do we respond? How can we find confidence when we don't know what is going to happen the next day. Oh, if only our faith were strong enough to overcome the uncertainty of it all. Abram was a man of faith, but that faith didn’t prevent him from experiencing his own season of uncertainty. Let's see if we can learn some lessons from Abram today on having confidence during the times of uncertainty.
PRAYER
Since the time God first called Abram and promised him land, offspring, and blessing, he had encountered a lot. Abram had endured a trip to Egypt to escape a famine, and then was kicked out of Egypt by pharaoh. He had successfully managed relationship tension with his nephew, Lot, and he had defeated invading kings. Still, all of this didn't seem to be leading to the promises God gave Abram. God came to Abram again, this time in a vision. Today we will be using Genesis chapter 15.
Genesis 15:1-5 – “After these events, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield; your reward will be very great.
2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what can you give me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Abram continued, “Look, you have given me no offspring, so a slave born in my house will be my heir.”
4 Now the word of the Lord came to him: “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”
We are a lot like Abram. When we become overwhelmed with worry, we can foolishly try to attempt to force the hand of God, which never works. Sadly, that's what Abram did. Seeing only the situation in front of him, Abram said, “Lord God, what can you give me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus."
You see, Abram hadn't yet received the heir that God had promised, so he was probably considering a practice that was common in that day—an adoption to ensure that he would have an heir. But whether or not Abram was going to adopt Eliezer, Abram assumed this servant would inherit all he had. But Abram’s assumption wasn't What God had planned to fulfil His promise.
Uncertainty has a way of making us forgetful. That seemed to be the case here with Abram. God corrected Abram and reminded him of His promise. But notice that God expanded His promise. Earlier, God had promised Abram, “I will make you into a great nation.” Now, he stretched the promise with an impossible math problem to show just how great the nation would be that Abram would father.
I can just picture Abram squinting his eyes and trying to do the impossible when God told him, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Of course, even counting the stars would miss the point. God wanted Abram to realize that, in spite of how circumstances seemed at the moment, he would have so many descendants, a great nation, that they couldn't all be counted. Abram could not count them, but God could. And even more so, God would know each one of them by name. That is yet another great promise from God. I am amazed that God knows my name.
And I wonder, are each of you fully confident that God is capable of accomplishing all that He says he will do? If not, believe today that God can do what we consider the impossible.
You might remember that this was not the first time God gave Abram such a math problem. Earlier, God had told Abram, “I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted.” Gen. 13:16.
For all of you parents out there, are you like me. Many times, as a parent, I have felt like a broken record with my children when they were growing up, reminding them repeatedly to brush their teeth or fasten their seatbelts. But as I think about how frustrated I would get, I think of how many times God has to repeat Himself, reminding me of His promises. Does He do the same with you? He graciously did it with Abram, and He does it graciously with us as well.
Psalm 33:4 – “For the word of the Lord is right, and all his work is trustworthy.” As we read God's word, we're reminded of God's promises. That's why it is so important to regularly read your Bible. We read God's word and it gives us a pattern, and we allow God's promises to sink deep into our hearts. God's word reminds us of His promise and protection so we can deflect all the arrows of worry that attack us in our times of uncertainty. Yes, God can give us confidence in times of uncertainty.
Genesis 15:6 – “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” Earlier in verses 2-3, Abram appeared uncertain about God's promises to him, but now we see Abram responding differently. After God told Abram to count the stars, Abram believed the Lord. God didn't give Abram any details concerning how He would deliver on that promise, but Abram trusted the word God spoke to him. He believed.
With a simple act of trust, God credited it to him as righteousness. The idea behind the word credited is to assign value to something. Abram’s belief was valued as righteousness. Abram didn't have to do anything to be credited with righteousness except believe. Abram believed God's promise that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars. In turn, God counted that belief as righteousness.
How can we be credited with this same righteousness? To have righteousness credited to our account means to be made right with God, to be in a right standing with Him, and to be accepted into a relationship with Him. This was not only a benefit to Abram, it set the entire stage for all humanity to receive that very same benefit. The Apostle Paul reminded us of that in:
Romans 4:23-24 – “Now it was credited to him was not written for Abraham alone, 24 but also for us. It will be credited to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.”
Notice Paul used the word believe and not behave. It's important that we recognize that. 54% of Americans acknowledge that faith in Jesus is all that is needed to remove our sin, 52%, believe we have to do something to earn our salvation. Human nature is mistakenly drawn to the idea that we need to step in and help fix our sin problem. But we don’t have to do anything except believe.
If we believe our relationship with God is based solely on our behavior, then our relationship with Him will be constantly filled with uncertainty. Have I done enough? Have I said enough? Have I repented enough? Forget all of that and just believe in Jesus as your Savior and let the Savior lead your behavior. That is the difference that must not be taken lightly.
Genesis 15:8-10 – “But he said, “Lord God, how can I know that I will possess it?”
9 He said to him, “Bring me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 So he brought all these to him, cut them in half, and laid the pieces opposite each other, but he did not cut the birds in half.”
Abram believed God regarding having offspring, but he asked for confirmation regarding the land. “Lord God, how can I know that I will possess it?”
God responded to Abram with an oath using animal sacrifices that were to be cut down the middle. Ritual sacrifices to confirm an agreement were not uncommon in the ancient near east, but this particular sacrifice was uniquely directed by God.
Genesis 15:13-16 – “Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know this for certain: Your offspring will be resident aliens for four hundred years in a land that does not belong to them and will be enslaved and oppressed. 14 However, I will judge the nation they serve, and afterward they will go out with many possessions.
15 But you will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”
In the middle of this oath ritual, Abram fell into a deep sleep. In that moment, God gave Abram an idea of what would happen with his descendants. Before Abram’s offspring would occupy the Promised Land, they would be oppressed in slavery for 400 years in a foreign land. They would face great challenges. While God confirmed His promise of descendants and land, it was clear the fulfillment of receiving the land would be a long time coming. We know that this vision actually occurred as the Hebrew children were made slaves in the land of Egypt for 400 years. So, the good news was that Abrams offspring would someday occupy the promised land. The not so good news was that it would be a long time in coming.
Almost every time I get some good news, I have to tell myself, it must be too good to be true. What's the catch? You're probably like me in that once you've had enough let downs over the years you become hesitant to get your hopes up.
It would kind of be like you getting a phone call and saying that a long lost relative of yours had included you in their will and you were about to inherit a fortune. Even though you would be very excited, you would probably be a little bit skeptical. You wouldn't actually get authentically excited until the paperwork was signed. Maybe that was how Abram felt. Abram believed God regarding his offspring, but he asked for confirmation regarding the land.
At this point, God proceeded to affirm Abram that he would not fail to keep His promise. Abram would be the father of many nations, though his descendants would experience hundreds of years of slavery in a foreign land. But God would one day judge the nation who held Abram's people captive, and they would return as free people to the land God had promised them. It wouldn't be an easy road, but the outcome was assured. Even though Abram was uncertain of the outcome, he could have confidence in the promises of God. While Abram was still asleep, the vision continued.
Genesis 15:17-21 – “When the sun had set and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the divided animals. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying,
“I give this land to your offspring, from the Brook of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates River: 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hethites, Perizzites, Rephaim, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”
God continued with the oath. He made a covenant with Abram. In the vision God's presence was represented by a flaming torch. Many times in Scripture, smoke and fire indicate the presence of God. God showing his presence to Abram surely was a comfort for Abram. Now let me explain the rest of the vision so we can fully understand what was happening.
As a part of a covenant ceremony like this, the ones who walked through the cut animals were responsible for upholding the agreements of the covenant. The reason they passed through the cut animals was a way of saying, “If I fail to uphold to arrangements of our covenant, may the same happen to me.”
Because Abram was asleep and the Lord alone passed through the animals, the Lord took it upon Himself to uphold the agreements of the covenant. The Lord was taking sole responsibility for bringing about the promises of the covenant. This was God’s promise and He would make sure it was fulfilled. The only thing that Abram had to do was simply believe and trust god.
Let me close by saying this. We definitely live in uncertain times. We don't know what will happen with this covid virus. We don't know the outcome of the Ukrainian / Russian dispute. We are simply uncertain of what might happen even this afternoon. But as the old song reminds us, “I don't know about tomorrow, but I know Who holds my hand.”
We trusted God back in 2020 to bring the numbers of those infected with covid down, and through God's answers, we are slowly getting control of this dreaded disease. God still upholds His end of the promise. And just like Abram, all we need to do is simply believe and trust in him.
Yes, we can be confident in the times of uncertainty.
