We read in Genesis 17:5, Your name will no longer be Abram, but Abraham, because I am making you the ancestor of many nations. (GNB)
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him, and in this exclusive conversation, God told Abram that he would no longer be called Abram but as Abraham, for God would make him the father of many nations.
There are so many who never get over their past, but live with constant regret about things they said, decisions they made, and over incidents that they are unable to forget. We have a God who is the God of the present, and He can turn things around in no time. Though God is the one who is God over all the nations, He is also a God who desires to have a personal relationship with each one of us, whereby He can speak to us, and fellowship with us individually. There is therefore a place for corporate worship, but it is also vital for us to have that personal time, and relationship with God.
All through the Bible we read of times when God met with those who were all alone. Jacob was all alone, running away from his brother, fearful of what lay ahead, when the Lord met him, and he saw the heavens opened with the angels of God ascending and descending from it. When Jesus was alone in the wilderness, and was being tempted by the devil, the Spirit of God strengthened Him, while the angels of God attended on Him. In our most lonely moments, the Lord is closest to us, and He plans to do something astounding in our lives. Instead of brooding over our past mistakes, and constantly blaming ourselves, we must trust God who can intervene to bless, and to recreate all that we have messed up.
God’s call and promise to Abram
When Abram was seventy five years old, the Lord called Abram to leave his country, his people and his father’s house to follow after Him, and this was the promise that He gave to him.
We read in Genesis 12:2, I will give you many descendants, and they will become a great nation. I will bless you and make your name famous, so that you will be a blessing. (GNT)
Abram and Sarai waited for ten long years, and then probably got frustrated. One can imagine all that might have transpired in those years when they waited to have a child. They might have tried various options, and those around them might have given numerous suggestions. There was no change in their situation, for the only one who could bring about the fulfilment of the promise was God Himself. In desperation, Sarai presented Abram her servant Hagar to be his wife, and the outcome was the birth of Ishmael. The birth of Ishmael did not solve the problem for Abram and Sarai, but instead became the source of much misunderstanding and grief.
This is the same call of God to each one of us who wish to follow Him. He is inviting us to leave behind our people, language, traditions, and come out to be set apart for Him. To those who are willing the Lord promises that they would be blessed, just as Abraham was. In a spiritual sense, if we genuinely choose to follow God like Abraham did, living in obedience to His word, the Lord will use our lives to be a great blessing, through whom many will come to know the Lord, and become His children.
For those of us who are in complicated situations like Abraham was in, who have tried all sorts of alternatives, listened to counsel from all quarters, let us turn to the Lord, and trust Him only for He alone can bring real reversal to our seemingly impossible situations.
Often times like Abram we are unwilling to wait patiently for God’s timing, and hence end up with loads of trouble. Many young children are constantly troubling their parents for cell phones, when they are not really equipped to handle them. Parents often encourage young children to get engrossed with some game on the phone, just to keep them occupied, and over a period of time children get so addicted to the same. When young children should enjoy themselves, play, read the word, and grow in the Lord, they are sadly obsessed with cell phones, which actually become a burden to us as we grow older. There are other youth who are adamant that their parents should purchase for them a motorbike even before they are eligible for a license. The right time to own a motorbike is when you have you are of the right age, have your own job, and are able to make enough money to buy your own bike that too without getting into debt. So many youth are not willing to wait patiently for marriage, and even before they complete their studies or get a job, they end up married, and are drowned with innumerable challenges.
Debt is a major problem for many people. The reason for debt is that instead of saving enough money to purchase something, they are unwilling to wait, and so go in for loans which ultimately weighs them down with heavy burden of loan, and the interest. When we make haste to have something before the time, it often will become a burden or a snare, and will never be a blessing.
We must learn to wait on the Lord, be patient, and at the appropriate time our heavenly Father will give us every good thing without fail. That is why the word of God encourages us in Isaiah 40:31 that ‘they that wait on the Lord will receive their strength.’ When Jesus was born there was a man named Simeon who prayerful, and patiently waited for the day when he could see the promised messiah. The days of waiting are not wasteful ones, for in due time we will receive the blessings of God.
Wait patiently for the Lord
The Psalmist says this beautifully in Psalms 40:1, “I waited patiently for the LORD's help; then he listened to me and heard my cry.”
Like the Psalmist we need to wait patiently for the Lord, and pray that we will cultivate this patience in our lives. When we are patient the Lord will most certainly heed our cry, and will hasten to help us. When God chooses to bless, no man will be able to hinder His blessings.
Impatience will destroy our lives. A good example is of Saul who was chosen as King of Israel, and yet he lost his kingship, was rejected by God only because he was impatient, and did not wait for Samuel to come to offer the sacrifices to the Lord.
We read in Habakkuk 2:3 “The vision will still happen at the appointed time. It hurries toward its goal. It won't be a lie. If it's delayed, wait for it. It will certainly happen. It won't be late.” (GW)
The meaning of this verse is that though the promises of God seem to be delayed, the Lord will most certainly fulfill it in His time. Let me help illustrate this point; when we are travelling by train from Coimbatore to Chennai, sometimes the departure from Coimbatore may be delayed, sometimes even by an hour. However, often the train will reach Chennai on time, only because the driver made up for the delay. So also, in our lives though things may not work out as per our schedule, they will definitely happen according to God’s perfect timing. In order for this to happen we must cultivate in our lives one of the qualities of the fruit of the Holy Spirit which is long suffering or patience.
God re-affirms His promise to Abraham
God called Abram at the age of seventy five but Abram did not wait on God to have a child. But Ishmael was born when Abram was eighty-six years old. He heaped on himself untold sorrow and difficulties because of his impatience. At the age of ninety nine God visited Abram, and spoke to him again.
We read in Genesis 17:4 "My promise is still with you. You will become the father of many nations. (GW)
Also in Genesis 17:5, Your name will no longer be Abram, but Abraham, because I am making you the ancestor of many nations. (GNB)
God had to renew His covenant with Abram, and remind him that His promise still stood firm, even though Abram had been unwilling to wait. God also changed his name from Abram to Abraham only to confirm that He would certainly be the father of many nations.
The Lord is reminding us through this incident that if we change the way we think and speak, the promise of God will surely be fulfilled. Many are unable to experience the fulfillment of God’s promise simply because of the words that proceed from their mouth. Often we speak negative words all through the day, and for such it would sometimes be good to not speak instead. Proverbs 18:21 admonishes us that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” (ESV) Therefore, we must learn to use words with much caution as they can produce life or death, depending on the way they are used.
Zechariah was speechless till the promise was fulfilled
We read in Luke 1:13, The angel said to him, "Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife Elizabeth will have a son, and you will name him John. (GW)
And in Luke 1:18, Zachariah said to the angel, "Do you expect me to believe this? I'm an old man and my wife is an old woman." (MSG)
We read in Luke 1:20, But you have not believed my message, which will come true at the right time. Because you have not believed, you will be unable to speak; you will remain silent until the day my promise to you comes true." (GNB)
Zechariah and Elizabeth had been praying to the Lord for a child. When Zechariah served as a priest in the temple, the angel of the Lord appeared to him to announce the good news that they would have a son. Zechariah immediately spoke words of doubt and unbelief, stating that he and his wife were very old, and past the age of child bearing. A serving priest is unable to believe that God has answered his prayers. Zechariah was unable to accept God’s word though it came from the angel of the Lord. The consequence that Zechariah had to face was that he was deprived of speech, until the day John the Baptist was born, and the promise would be fulfilled.
Have you noticed how often we speak words of unbelief into many situations in our lives? By doing so we discredit God’s power and might to intervene in our so called hopeless situations. Let us decided that we will use our tongue wisely, and only speak words the right words. Parents should not curse your children, and as husband and wife we must only speak words to bless each other, and not otherwise. Sometimes one untimely or unwanted word can sometimes cause huge confusion in a family. If we want the promise of God to be ratified, we must either speak the words of God with faith or else must learn to be silent. Let the words that come out of our mouth be positive, and life giving to others, and we need God’s strength for the same. May our words never become hindrances to God fulfilling His promises in our lives.
The silent victory over Jericho
We read in Joshua 6:10, But Joshua had ordered the people not to shout, not to say a word until he gave the order. (GNB)
The people of Israel were challenged with the mighty city of Jericho whose walls were impenetrable. Joshua commanded the army of Israel to go around the city of Jericho without saying a word. Probably the reason they were not allowed to talk was that they would have spoken words that would have caused panic, and discouragement to one another, and hindered God’s power from being manifest.
Moses told the Israelites to keep their mouths shut
We also read in Exodus 14:14, GOD will fight the battle for you. And you? You keep your mouths shut!" (MSG)
The Israelites were fleeing from Egypt, and as they encountered the Red Sea ahead of them and Pharaoh’s army in hot pursuit, these are the orders of Moses to the people. They were instructed to let God fight their battle, and they were to remain silent. If given a chance they would have for sure spoken words of fear, doubt and created panic among the people. As they remained silent the Lord wrought their deliverance through the Red Sea, from the mighty armies and chariots of Pharaoh.
We too must either speak the words of faith and promise or else just remain silent.
Mary spoke words of faith
We read in Luke1:30-31, The angel said to her, "Don't be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. (GNB)
We read in Luke 1:34, Mary said to the angel, "I am a virgin. How, then, can this be?" (GNB)
The angel replied in Luke 1:37-38, For there is nothing that God cannot do. "I am the Lord's servant," said Mary; "may it happen to me as you have said." And the angel left her. (GNB)
Mary was a young virgin, and the angel Gabriel announced to her that she would be with child. Her question to the angel was a valid one, in that she said ‘I am a virgin, How then can this be?’
The angel of the Lord assured her with the promise that there was nothing that was impossible with God. When Mary heard this promise she affirmed the promise of God, and said ‘may it happen to me as you have said’. When Mary accepted the word of God as it came to her, immediately the angel of the Lord departed, for the mission for which he had been sent was duly accomplished. Mary became that channel who could receive the Spirit of God, to conceive the Son of God.
May we like Mary accept the promises of God as it comes to us, and speak words of faith. As we continually declare the promises of God we will find that they will be actualized in our lives in due time. Instead of constantly speaking about our negative circumstances, may we practice speaking God’s word, and His promises to our every situation, to experience the transformation that He will bring about.
Abram became Abraham
We read in Genesis 17:5, Your name will no longer be Abram, but Abraham, because I am making you the ancestor of many nations. (GNB)
God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, and Sarai to Sarah. Abraham was now referred to as the father of many nations. Those around may have mocked at Abraham, when he was called the father of many nations, as he was unable to even have one child. However, God intervened to change that, and within a year God enabled Abraham and Sarah to have their son Isaac (meaning laughter) who brought laughter into their home.
Instead of constantly speaking words of disbelief about our situations, let us speak words of faith into every circumstance that challenges us. There may be those who scorn and discourage us in our faith walk. We have the assurance from the Lord that we will be those who lend, and not those who borrow, those who are the head, and not those who will be the tail. The Lord has also promised us that He will build us a sure house. Let us speak words and promises of God for ourselves, our family and children. The Lord will assuredly intervene into every situation, pour out His blessings on our lives, so we will behold His amazingly wondrous works displayed in and through us.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
