Once again, we see each of our aforementioned themes play out. We see God calling Abraham to do something that requires a great deal of faith. In this particular scenario, it involves trusting that God would give him a son from his own wife. We see God blessing Abraham with His covenant, using language such as “I will shield you, and your reward will be great.” We know the story continues beyond Abraham’s life, and that his blessing of a large amount of children did not occur in his lifetime. We also see that Abraham’s faith is not perfect, as he attempts to go about fulfilling the promise in his own way.
In our discussion, we took some time to consider this aspect of God’s people being flawed—more specifically, we discussed the idea of Abraham taking the promise into his own hands. God promised him that he would become the father of a multitude so great, that they would be like the stars in the sky. His first response was to believe God, and therefore have it credited to him as righteousness. This example is given us as one of great faith, and certainly Abraham is upheld by traditions everywhere as one of the premier examples of faith.
However, Abraham displayed a moment of humanity in his understanding of exactly how this promise would be fulfilled. He had already left his homeland to receive God’s promise; we would imagine that he would continue this pattern of believing God when logic would sway otherwise. However, at Sarah’s behest, Abraham chose to go about fulfilling God’s promise in a way that made sense to him. The results are familiar: he enters into a sexual relationship with his wife’s maid, she has a son, his wife becomes jealous, and Hagar and Ishmael are kicked out of the house. Though they eventually came back, Ishmael’s descendents and Abraham’s other descendents were typically at odds (at best) with one another.
Lest we judge Abraham sharply, how many of us have, in moments of uncertainty regarding God’s plans, attempted to go about achieving his promises ourselves, without waiting for Him? Abraham’s issue in this scenario may sound familiar to many of us: control. Abraham thought that, in order for God’s purposes to be achieved in his life, he had to be the one controlling the situation.
For those of us who were present at this discussion, control is certainly an issue in our lives. We see all around us a drive to be in control, to prepare for the unexpected, and to plan for our own futures. In the meantime, we are in complete denial of the fact that, despite what we would choose to believe, we are not actually in control.
God’s promise to Abraham, defying reason, is fulfilled in chapter 21, as Sarah herself gives birth to a son. They name this son Isaac, which means “laughter,” based on their reaction when God insisted that Sarah would bear a child. In that scenario, God’s messengers sum up one major theme in this story: “Is anything too difficult for the Lord?”
So we are left to consider this challenge: Is anything too difficult for the Lord? In the midst of burning ourselves out attempting to find solutions to our dilemmas, we fail to sit still for a moment and hear His voice as He whispers, “Cease striving and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). The first part of that verse could also be translated, “Let go,” “Relax.” Let go of this delusion that we can be in control of our own lives. Relax, and stop worrying about the future; trust that God will deliver what He has promised.
We claim to believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. However, if we actually believed that, would we not be more likely to trust that He will bring resolution and fulfillment to our situations? Can we let go, stop striving, and trust that the one who conquered death just might be able to help us? If He already overcame the most impossible situation, what does this mean for us when we feel there is no apparent solution for what we face?
God calls His covenant people to do more than simply believe: trust. He makes such promises as “I am with you always,” and “I have a plan for you,” promises to which we can cling, even—no, especially—when there is no other logical evidence for the promises to be true. If He is able to overcome death, He can certainly overcome anything that stands in our way.
Take some time in this upcoming week to consider what promises God has made in His Word, and ask yourself, “If this promise is true, what does that mean for me?”
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