We read in Genesis 17:1, When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am the Almighty God. Obey me and always do what is right. (GNB)
There is a specific reason why the word of God mentions that Abram was ninety-nine years old when the Lord appeared to him. When God first called Abram to leave everything to follow after Him, Abram was seventy-five years old. God promised Abram that He would bless him with numerous descendants, but though Abram was eighty six years old, the promise of God was still not fulfilled. As Abram and Sarah grew more and more anxious, Sarai gave Abram the idea to have a child thorough her servant maid Hagar, with the hope that through that child her family could be established. The consequence of that decision which was based on their own understanding, and dependence on the flesh, was the conception of Ishmael, whose birth caused much turmoil, and grief to Abram and Sarai. Abram and Sarai by their haste, and impatience to wait for God’s timing, lost the presence of God in their lives.
From the age of eighty-six until the age of ninety-nine, for thirteen long years Abram received no word from God. Abram must have regretted that he left everything behind, been perplexed, felt helpless, and must have longed to hear the voice of the Lord again. At ninety-nine years of age, Abram had come to a point of frailty, and had to depend entirely on the Lord to do the impossible in his life, so as to fulfill the promise He had made.
We believe in a God who knows our inmost thoughts, fears, and longings. He also desires to perform extraordinary deeds, and wonders in our lives. However, when we like Abram and Sarai go ahead with our own plans, depending on our own intellect, we may find temporary solutions to our problems, but they will ultimately take away peace from our lives. When we choose to have the blessings of this world, we often lose out on the presence of God.
God knows the exact time when we should receive certain blessings, but generally we get restless when there are delays to our requests, question God about the same, and try to achieve these blessings with our own efforts. We must constantly remind ourselves that we can afford to forfeit anything in this world, but should never come to place where we miss out on the presence of God in our lives. The top priority in the life of every believer who has been called by God, saved by His precious blood, is that we should consistently hear His voice, walk in obedience to His word, obey His will, and live in His presence every minute of every day.
Just like Abram left everything to follow God when he received the call of God, so we too have left our customs, traditions, relationships, have heeded the voice of God, and have ventured on this journey of faith. But if we yearn to reach the Promised Land, it is vital that we constantly seek the counsel of God in every single decision we make. In many ways we are tempted like Abram to accomplish things in our flesh, and in our own strength, but we must understand that anything that is done without God’s grace, strength and approval, may give temporary relief, but will become a huge burden in the end.
The Lord taught the Israelites to depend on Him
When the Lord brought the people of Israel out of Egypt, He led them through the wilderness where there were no people, only because He wanted them to learn to trust Him completely. There were six lakh men alone apart from women, children and livestock that the Lord led through the wilderness for forty years. Throughout that arduous journey they were in lack for nothing for the Lord provided for them with food, water, shelter, clothing, victory and above all His very presence to accompany them.
God wants us to depend on Him because His strength is far greater than our human strength, and His wisdom far wiser than our human understanding. In many people’s lives it is their self, and not the Lord who sits enthroned in their hearts. They therefore do those things that seem best to their own thinking and desires, the consequence of which will only be for our harm. We must instead, choose to let the Lord reign supreme in our lives, listening to His counsel and living according to His will, for only then are we assured of a life of triumph.
Hagar sought God when she was at the end of her tether
After the birth of Ishmael, Sarai began to torment Hagar, and Hagar instead of calling out to God right where she was, decided to run away from her mistress. When Hagar came to a point where she had no more strength in herself, only then did she cry out to God in her distress, and the Lord answered her.
There are many young people who when faced with difficulties and challenges are choosing to run away from home or their complex situations. It is far better for us to seek the Lord while things are going good, to depend on His strength, and not on our own. Just think about this, if we were to eat without praying, the food we eat will still digest. However, if for some reason the food we eat causes a stomach upset, we immediately call out to the Lord for healing. Instead of running to the Lord when things turn bad, it is wise and beneficial to be thankful to the Lord for all His blessings on our lives when everything is going good.
When we are the end of ourselves, the Lord comes seeking after us
After thirteen long years of silence from God, when Abram had come to that place of total dependence on God, the Lord reached out to Abram, and spoke to him again.
Have you noticed how, that wherever man failed or sinned against God, it was God who took the initiative to reconcile with fallen man? Adam sinned and hid from God, and it was God who came calling out to Adam. Moses acted in his own strength, killed an Egyptian, and ended up for forty years in the wilderness, tending sheep. When Moses came to a point of utter degradation, the Lord came calling out to Moses in the burning bush.
When the Lord appeared to Abram at the age of ninety nine, He introduced Himself this way, Genesis 17:1, When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am the Almighty God. Obey me and always do what is right. (GNB)
The reason God had to reveal Himself as the Almighty God to Abram was because, somewhere down the line, Abram disbelieved the might of the awesome God who called Him, and began to depend on his own strength. Abram began his journey by faith, but half way through, he attempted to fulfill God’s promise to him through his own efforts, ended up having Ishmael, but was left with utter confusion.
God allows certain experiences in our lives to prove to us that He is the Almighty God
Here are some examples from the bible
• The first experience that Abraham encountered when he ventured out on his journey of faith was a severe famine. He went to Egypt seeking refuge from the famine, and there he was challenged again when Pharaoh, took Abram’s wife Sarai to his palace. Abram was silent, helpless and dependent on the Lord. (Genesis chapter 12)
Often when we are faced with lack, financial needs, problems with our children we often look only to other people to tide us through these difficulties, instead of turning to the Lord, and depending on Him for the solution. We must believe with all our heart that the God we believe in, who is with us, is the Almighty God, and that He can intervene to change any situation around.
• The Lord spoke to Joseph through dreams that He would exalt him above all his brothers. What followed soon afterwards was that his own brothers out of envy and hatred, threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery. They plotted against him, decided to soak his cloak with the blood of a goat and lie to their father that Joseph had died. However, the Lord Almighty was with Joseph, and assured him that irrespective of the kind of hardships he faced, that He would deliver him. (Genesis chapter 37)
There may be those who are challenged with enmity from their own family members. The Lord wants to remind such, that regardless of the pit like situations that you are in, the Lord is the Almighty God who is able to liberate us from all of it.
• The people of Israel were in gruesome bondage in the land of Egypt for more than 400 years. The Lord performed mighty miracles, and plagued the Egyptians that in the end they begged the Israelites to leave. As the Israelites left with jubilation the first challenge they were confronted with was the Red Sea ahead of them, and the Egyptian army in pursuit of them. (Exodus chapter 14)
When problems overwhelm us, instead of fretting and whining, let us acknowledge the fact that the Lord Almighty is with us. A report from the doctor, a statement from the bank or a notice from the court is enough to weigh so many down. Let us keep reminding ourselves that the God we trust in is the Almighty God, who can overthrow any complicated situation that may challenge us.
• When Jesus began his ministry, just after His baptism, the voice of the Father from heaven attested that ‘He was His beloved Son, in whom He was well pleased’. After this amazing experience, He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. (Matthew chapter 4)
• Saul had an amazing encounter with the risen Lord on the way to Damascus, and had a dramatic conversion experience, and became Paul. But, as Paul tried to join the other disciples, the challenge he faced was that the other disciples of Jesus perceived that he was a traitor, and a deceiver. We read in Acts 9:26, When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he made attempts to join up with the disciples—but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. (TLV)
There may be those who have had a genuine conversion experience, but are still not being accepted by others or are being looked at suspiciously. For those of us who decide to follow Jesus, we too will encounter these hardships, and difficult circumstances, but the assurance we have from the Lord is that the Almighty God is with us.
These experiences help us realize that God is an over-powerer and the all sufficient one
• Abram was troubled when Sarai was taken away from him by the king of Egypt, but the Lord plagued the palace of Pharaoh, and he returned Sarai back to Abram safe and unharmed. We also read in Genesis 12:16, Everything went well for Abram because of her, and he was given sheep, cattle, donkeys, male and female slaves, and camels. (GW) The Lord turned the situation around for Abram, for when he thought that he was at the end of the road, the Lord restored back to him his wife, and so much more than he could imagine or ask for.
We have an Almighty God with us who can turn around any bad situation for our own good.
• We read about Joseph in Genesis 39:3, Joseph's master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made everything he did successful. (GW) Joseph though he was a slave in Potiphar’s house, he excelled in every way, and his master realized that God was with Joseph.
When the Almighty God is with us, those around us will know, and perceive this with their own eyes. We cannot see God, but people will observe that the Lord is blessing all the works of our hands.
• We read in Exodus 14:25, He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they could hardly move. Then the Egyptians shouted, "Let's get out of here! The LORD is fighting for Israel! He's against us!" While the Israelites were fleeing from the Egyptians, the Egyptian army was in hot pursuit of them. The people of Israel who had been in slavery for more than four hundred years, their minds too were suppressed and they had no grit to face or fight against the Egyptian army. Though the Egyptian army pursued them with mighty chariots, the wondrous deeds the Lord performed made them realize that the Almighty God was fighting on behalf of the Israelites, and they wanted to flee from their pursual of them.
The Almighty God will fight our battles for us against those who rise up against us. The Lord will put fear into their hearts, and they will retreat never to trouble us again.
• Jesus not only overcame all the temptations of Satan that came His way, but we read in Matthew 4:11, Then the devil leaves Him. And behold, angels came and began to take care of Him. (TLV)
• We read about Barnabas in Acts 9:27, Then Barnabas came to his help and took him to the apostles. He explained to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and that the Lord had spoken to him. He also told them how boldly Saul had preached in the name of Jesus in Damascus. (GNB) After Paul’s conversion, when challenged with despondency the Lord sent Barnabas to encourage him, and to stand with him.
When we too are faced with discouragements in our faith journey, the Lord will send those who will reassure us and stimulate us spiritually.
Walk before God and always do right
We remind ourselves again from Genesis 17:1, When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, (ESV)
When God assured Abraham that He was an Almighty God, it implied that God was the conqueror and the All Sufficient One. A great example is of a baby in the lap of his mother. When he or she is there, the mother will do all that she can to keep her baby safe and the baby has everything that he ever needs right there with his mother. So also when the Almighty God is with us, there is completer safety, and every need is supplied by thee Lord Himself.
One part of this verse reminds us that the Almighty God who is with us is the conqueror and the All Sufficient One. The latter part reminds us that we have a responsibility. God told Abram ‘Walk before me and be blameless’. To walk before God indicates that we are living with the consciousness that God is watching and is aware of our every thought, look, word and deed.
Joseph a great example
• Joseph walked before God
Joseph was hated by his own brothers, sold into slavery, and ended up as a slave in Potiphar’s house in Egypt. If we were to put ourselves in Joseph’s shoes for a while, we will realize the trauma he must have gone through. He faced treason from his own brothers, was enslaved and sold like a mere object to an Egyptian master, and was in a place of lowest self-esteem. At home he was the favorite son of his father, but as a slave in Egypt, Joseph was reduced to being an object of scorn and disdain.
When Joseph worked as a slave in Potiphar’s house, Potiphar’s wife began to entice him. Joseph being a young man could have given in to the temptation, and presumed that this was a way for him to get to a higher position to be rid of his position as a slave. However, this was Joseph’s reply to Potiphar’s wife when she tried to seduce him.
We read in Genesis 39:9, I have as much authority in this house as he has, and he has not kept back anything from me except you. How then could I do such an immoral thing and sin against God?" (GNB) Joseph walked before God and therefore, was conscious of the fact that the eyes of the Lord were watching him all the time. He therefore decided that he would do nothing that would go against God’s morals and standards.
There are many who constantly complain about the way life treats them, but if there was someone who could have done that, it was Joseph, but he chose to not let that happen. If we notice the life of Joseph, he never complained to anyone about the atrocities meted out to him. The only time he shared about his situation was to the butler whom he thought could help put in a word to the king on his release, but sadly even he forgot about Joseph for two long years.
No matter how difficult our situations are, let us never grumble or complain to others. Often those who appear to lend a sympathetic ear to us, will go away, and malign or misrepresent our predicament. Instead let us take all our cares and worries to the Almighty God, who is faithful for He will certainly intervene to deliver us out of all our troubles.
• Joseph was blameless
The other part of the command of God to Abram was to be blameless. To be blameless means to be without fault, perfect, have integrity, with no blemish whatsoever. It is only when we live such a faultless life will we experience the presence of the Almighty God with us. Joseph decided that he would never do a sinful thing against God, and thereby he remained blameless in the sight of God. When Joseph walked before God uprightly, with integrity the Lord raised him from being an ordinary slave and a prisoner, to being the ruler of Egypt.
The Almighty God is there with each one of us, and if we trust Him like Joseph did, He will enable us to walk upright, blameless, perfect, with integrity and without blemish before Him. Let us yearn and long only for the presence of the Almighty God in our lives, and never trade it or forfeit it for anything else in this world.
We read in 2 Chronicles 16:9, The LORD'S eyes scan the whole world to find those whose hearts are committed to him and to strengthen them. (GW)
The eyes of the Lord are roaming through the whole earth, and is seeking for those whose hearts are totally committed to Him. For such ones, the Lord will show Himself strong, and strengthen them in every way. May we depend on our El-Shaddai, the Almighty God, and live with the constant consciousness of his presence. Let us walk before Him, and be blameless so that His might will be manifested in, and through our lives.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
