David Bahn – Reflections

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As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. ¹³ Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. ¹⁴ But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. ¹⁵ As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. ¹⁶ And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

¹⁷ When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. ¹⁸ On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.” – Genesis 15:12-18

I’ve been having weird dreams lately. Some slightly disturbing, but mostly just weird. Things and people intersecting that make no sense. It would be like seeing Martin Luther driving a Ferrari as an egret sits on a cantaloupe. Nothing about that makes sense, right? 

But dreams are all over the Old Testament, and in the New Testament as well. Remember Pilate’s wife? She told her husband that she had suffered gravely in a dream on account of Jesus the night before Jesus was arrested and brought before him. Joseph had a dream, and understood that he was to take the baby Jesus and his mother and flee to Egypt for Herod was trying to kill him. 

Joseph – one of Jacob’s sons – had dreams, and interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh. Daniel interpreted the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar. The prophet Joel promised that in the latter days young men will have visions and old men will dream dreams. 

Abram seems to have a dream here – even though it doesn’t exactly say it was a dream. At least part of what is revealed is surely during the deep sleep the Lord causes to fall on Abram. Dream or not, the message is clear. This is no Martin Luther in a Ferrari fantasy. This is a revelation of God. He will keep his promise. Abram will inherit the land. His descendants will ultimately prevail. God is making his promise both clear and certain. 

The normal manner of establishing a covenant in those days was for the two parties to pass through the sacrificed carcasses together. They were both saying, in effect, if I break this covenant, may I become like these sacrificed animals. In this case, however, Abram never passes through the middle of the sacrificed animals. The LORD alone does this. This is a unilateral covenant. David Guzik comments:

God, represented by the smoking oven and the burning torch, passed through the animal parts by Himself; as Abram watched, God showed this was a unilateral covenant. Abram never signed the covenant, because he passively watched while God signed it for both of them in the ritual. – Enduring Word Commentary

So maybe this is a little weird. Sacrificed animal carcasses split in two and laid out on the ground is not a normal every day occurrence. But more than weird, this is God revealing how serious he is to his promise to Abram. Remember, this is the first book of the Bible. This sets the stage for all that is to follow. God is making a promise that will have eternal consequences. He wants it to be clear and certain. 

Fast forward to 2000 years ago and consider Jesus on the cross. Nothing like we see these days. But this is the sign of God’s absolutely certain promise and his clear commitment to redeem a lost world. That’s no dream. But it is a hope to which we may attach our greatest and most glorious dreams.

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As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. ¹³ Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. ¹⁴ But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. ¹⁵ As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. ¹⁶ And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

¹⁷ When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. ¹⁸ On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, ¹⁹ the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, ²⁰ the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, ²¹ the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” – Genesis 15:12-21

Give me flowers. No war. No bloodshed. No harsh reality. Give me peace. Give me joy. No hardship. No difficulty. No gritty brutality. I realize it’s very naive, but I’m with Rodney King, “Can’t we all just get along?” History shows otherwise. People fight and quarrel. They posture and bluster. They assert their powers and impose their wishes on us. We might want to play nice, but there are those who don’t give a wit about playing nice. They don’t care whether you like them or not. They have no fear of God. Or they suppose that their way is so right that they will do anything necessary to impose it on others. Think the Inquisition. Think Sheria Law. Think Stalin. Think Hitler. Pol Pot. Fidel. Kim Jong-un. Saddam Hussein. 

Or think Amorites. Or Egyptians in the years to come. Or the Babylonians. Or the Taliban. Or…well, the list can go on and on. 

I regularly post portions of the Psalms on Sunday mornings. I choose verses from Psalms based on the days of the month. Last Sunday, the 11th, I posted verses from Psalms 11, 41, 71, 101, and 131. Take the day of the month, and start with the Psalm of that number, then add thirty. If you read the Psalms in that manner, over a month’s time, you will have read through all 150 Psalms. Sometimes the Psalms in the range for a given Sunday are imprecatory. They wish for the complete destruction of their enemies. They call down the judgement and vengeance of God on their enemies. There seems to be no self-conscious hesitation in regard to that. 

These verses reveal a side of God that aligns with such imprecations. “The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete,” the Lord says. That bodes poorly for those who will be in the vortex of the Amorites’ iniquity. Sinful behavior is destructive to the victim. It will also prove to be the destruction of the perpetrator as well. 

And I wish it were not so. I wish we could all just get along. I wish God didn’t have to judge. I wish the children of Abram did not have to go into captivity – even though it would afford God a grand opportunity to intervene in a dramatic way to redeem his chosen people. 

But, as they say, “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.” So there will be a sojourn into Egypt for God’s chosen people. The iniquity of the Amorites will be completed. And there will come a redemption. It will be harsh and brutal. But it will come. 

Look in that manner at Jesus on the cross. This is a time of grave brutality. But it is also God’s redemptive moment. And through this redemption, all people may be saved. For in Jesus, God’s chosen people are all the people of the world. God so loved the world. Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. Whoever believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life. 

The path of our redemption may take us to a brutal moment 2000 years ago. But it also leads us to an empty tomb, and points us toward the fullness of that redemption that will be revealed on the Great Last Day. 

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As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. ¹³ Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. ¹⁴ But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. ¹⁵ As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. ¹⁶ And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” – Genesis 15:12-16

I remember watching the photo develop before my very eyes the first time I made a print in the darkroom. It took about 2 minutes for the image fully to appear. Then came the stop bath to stop the development process, and finally the fixer which secured the image on the paper, and prevented fading when the lights came on. It wasn’t a quick process. Even before I could develop the print, I had to finish the roll of film, take the film into the (completely) dark room, load it into a film canister and develop the film – in the same manner. And then, I would print a contact sheet or guess by looking at the negative which I wanted to print. It. Took. Time. But it was rewarding.

Abram is put on notice here that what the LORD had in store for him would also take time. It wasn’t going to be a quick blessing. In fact, the pathway to the fulfillment of God’s blessings to Abram would take his descendants into captivity, slavery, and only after four hundred years would they be brought up out of slavery. It would take a long time for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

But they would be fulfilled.

And Abram believed the LORD. 

In this milieu of instant gratification, how long are you willing to wait…

• for a raise?
• for the house to sell?
• for the server to bring the chips and salsa?
• for your offer to buy a working vintage Minolta A5 camera on eBay to be accepted? (Not just theoretical here. A Minolta A5 was my first serious 35mm camera. I bought it from Jerry when I was in high school, and I put an offer in on eBay just a few minutes ago.)

Or more seriously, how long are you willing to wait…

• for God to answer a long and often prayer for peace of heart?
• for God to return a wayward loved one to the fold of faith and family?
• for God to heal a chronic disease?
• for God to bring peace to your heart?
• to see the fruit of your faithful love to a neighbor?

There is an intertwined relationship between waiting, hoping, and trusting. These are the active components of faith. When these are turned toward God, founded on his promises, centered in Jesus’ death and resurrection, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the wait will always be worth it. For whatever good things God has promised are worth waiting for – even if we will not see them during our lifetime on earth. 

And the Lord said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” ⁸ But Abram said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” ⁹ He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” ¹⁰ And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. ¹¹ And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

¹² As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. ¹³ Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. ¹⁴ But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. ¹⁵ As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. ¹⁶ And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” – Genesis 15:7-16

“If God told me to take a feather and strip the quills from it one by one, and by that I would be saved, I would do it.” My seminary prof was fond of saying something like that – which apparently, Martin Luther had said. I can find no reference of Luther’s to that effect, but it does sound like something he would say. It relates to baptism, preaching the foolishness of the cross, and the blessings of the Lord’s Supper. Luther had a very high view of God and God’s word, and God’s work – through means that we take for granted today. But seriously? Water on the head or bread and wine at the rail? 

Here we have a bit of a mystery about animals being cut in half and a covenant being made between God and Abram. David Duzik has a helpful comment on this:

i. In those days, contracts were made by the sacrificial cutting of animals, with the split carcasses of the animals lying on the ground. The covenant was made when parties to the agreement walked through the animal parts together, repeating the terms of the covenant. The LORD made a covenant in Genesis 15:18 is literally, “the LORD cut a covenant.”

ii. Jeremiah 34:18-20 makes reference to this same practice of a covenant made by cutting animals and repeating the oath of the covenant as one walks through the animal parts.

iii. The symbolism was plain. First, this is a covenant so serious, it is sealed with blood. Second, if I break this covenant, let this same bloodshed be poured out on my animals and me.

iv. When Abram had his doubts and wanted assurance from the LORD, God said to him clearly, “Let’s sign a contract and settle this once for all.” – Enduring Word Commentary

Rather than getting stuck in the unpleasant idea of animals sacrificed, cut in two, and laid on the ground, let’s consider what God is really up to. He wants to assure Abram of his good will, and the reliability of his promises. God is so serious that he will also walk through the midst of this, which we’ll see in the verses following these above. 

If you need assurance of God’s love, take a long look at the Lord Jesus on the cross! He went there for you and for me. And remember that whenever we partake of the Lord’s Supper we “proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). And do you doubt God’s power to save? Look into the empty tomb! Are you uncertain of his goodness? Watch as Jesus washes his disciples’ feet, forgives an adulterous woman, and speaks with the woman at the well (John 4; 8; 13).

I’ll agree: It’s a little unusual, and not in our everyday religious experience to see animal sacrifices – laid out on the ground to boot. But God wanted Abram to be clear. He has made a promise. He will now sign it himself. I don’t think Abram understood it at that time. But he obeyed God, prepared the animal sacrifices, and even kept the birds of prey from them. All this in anticipation of God’s next action. 

Is there something that God is calling you to prepare for his use, for his glory, and for your blessing? 

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For your personal meditation and reflection on this Lord’s Day

Psalm 11:7

The Lord is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
    the upright shall behold his face.

Psalm 41:13

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen.

Psalm 71:1-3

In you, O Lord, do I take refuge;
    let me never be put to shame!
² In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
    incline your ear to me, and save me!
³ Be to me a rock of refuge,
    to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
    for you are my rock and my fortress.

Psalm 101:1-2

I will sing of steadfast love and justice;
    to you, O Lord, I will make music.
² I will ponder the way that is blameless.

Psalm 131

Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.”

² But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth.³ You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.”

⁴ Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” ⁵ Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

⁶ And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith. -Genesis 15:1-6

R.C. Sproul writes about this passage in the Reformation Study Bible. In commenting on Genesis 15:6 he says

Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.”

² But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth.³ You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.”

⁴ Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” ⁵ Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

⁶ And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith. -Genesis 15:1-6

I had a friend who was once described to me as one who never lands. He couldn’t seem to come to a straight-forward conclusion about anything. He wasn’t able to express himself without a bunch of qualifications. He was a highly conflicted individual. And it was difficult to have a conversation with him that felt truly resolved. I was never quite sure where I stood. 

Maybe you know someone who is always backfilling. He will make a claim only to offer various qualifications and disclaimers. It’s a sign of insecurity. And sometimes a clue to things less than true. When there are many words, transgression and offense are unavoidable, But he who controls his lips and keeps thoughtful silence is wise (Proverbs 10:19). Jesus says, “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ Anything more comes from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37). 

What does it take to land? Is it possible to express yourself in such a manner that your true feelings will be known, yet you don’t overwhelm others? Or is it possible to express your thoughts and feelings without shame or any need to justify? 

Abram does this here. And the end result of his encounter with God is remarkable. He expresses his concerns. God reiterates his promises. Abram believes the Lord. And God justifies him. There is no back-filling here. He needs no extra words of explanation. He simply expresses his heart to God and believes what God says.

There are those who say that the idea of justification is meaningless to modern man. That God would declare someone righteous by his grace because of one’s faith is not on many people’s radar. But as far as I’m able to tell, the world is filled with people who are trying to justify themselves. They offer convoluted explanations and excuses. They look for ways to make others look worse than themselves. They ridicule those who don’t agree with them. 

A heart settled on God’s goodness, trusting in his promises, and desiring his blessing will find rest and a landing place. We all struggle at one time or another with whether God’s ways are truly good. We sometimes doubt that we can be satisfied with God’s promises. We too often look for ways to fill our hearts with the peace that only God gives. But God calls us back to himself again and again. He offers us a place to land and to be by his grace. We arrive there through faith. 

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After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying,

“Do not fear, Abram,
I am a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great.”

² But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”m³ Abram also said, “Since You have given me no son, one who has been born in my house is my heir.” ⁴ Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” ⁵ And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” ⁶ Then he believed in the Lord; and He credited it to him as righteousness.

Ready for a challenge? I hope these observations will be a blessed challenge to your Christian walk. 

What does faith do? 

James says, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26).

Paul says, “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Romans 3:28).

Jesus commends the woman who comes to him and is willing to “receive the scraps that fall from the master’s table.” He commends her great faith (cf. Matthew 15:28). 

Abram believes the Lord, and it is counted to him as righteousness. 

As I consider this portion of the Abram narrative, I see not only the most important thing that faith does. I see also some other things it does. 

Faith justifies. This is surely most important. We need not justify ourselves. To anyone. About anything. God is judge. And those who put their faith in him are counted righteous. Period.

That’s a beautiful thing. But wait! There’s more! 

Faith also confronts God with his promises and requires an answer. This is not telling God what to do. But it is telling God that we are relying on his promises when we bring these to God’s attention. We can say, “God, you promised to hear and answer my prayers. I don’t see it.” 

Then faith waits for the answer. It doesn’t demand as though we can call God to account. But it does ask. And it waits for God’s answer. We don’t know what Abram would have done had God not answered him here. But God did answer. And he gave more assurance to his promises.

Faith begets more clarification, and sometimes further promises from God. I’ve prayed, and received not only answers to my prayers, but also further promises of God’s continued favor and blessing. 

Faith sees, relies on, and lives into the goodness and faithfulness of God. It will therefore move us to obey God more fully. It will inspire sacrifice and bolster our resistance to temptation. It will keep us humble. It will put us on the path of God’s blessing – not only our own blessings, but the blessings of others. 

Faith does all this because of its object. Faith doesn’t believe in itself. It is not self-conscious. Faith believes in God. Faith is conscious of God’s word, promises, faithfulness, goodness, love, righteousness, justice, grace, and truth. 

That’s a lot. And it’s all God’s gift, given by the Holy Spirit. Inspired by God’s revelation of himself in Jesus, and on bold display here in these few verses. And there’s more to come. 

Click here or on the podcast player below to listen to an audio version of this blog post. 

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 15:1-6

“You cannot lead someone whom you resent.” I wish I had known that years ago. In my earlier years of ministry, I carried way too much resentment toward certain people – even within the church I served! Sadly, the feeling was sometimes mutual. Some of those people resented me. Maybe even first. It was not a good situation either way. Resentment erodes trust. Trust makes true leadership possible. Add an attitude of mutual respect and humility, and you’ve got a powerful combination. The stuff that moves mountains.

We’ve shared this important principle with church leaders through our teaching in PLI. I’m not the only one who needed to learn that lesson. It seems a bit more prevalent among younger church leaders (my experience is mostly with pastors). Perhaps it’s a matter of insecurity. Maybe it’s the dangerous belief that one has all the answers that comes from an intensive study of Scripture and the church’s teachings. Whatever the cause, resentment, and it’s twin brother hubris get in the way of all too many leadership opportunities.

Abram may have been beset with this malady as a young man. We don’t know one way or the other. But he doesn’t display resentment here. His questions of God are sincere and straight forward. He asks God how it will be that he will become the father of many. He put it to God simply and directly: I’ve got no heir. How will I gain this reward that you’ve promised?

God answers him with a repeat of this promise that he would be the father of a great number of descendants. God calls him to look to the heavens and imagine that his descendants would be as many as the stars in the heavens.

Abram’s response was to believe God’s promise.

God’s response to Abram’s faith was to reckon him as righteous.

Here we have in the very first book of the Bible the idea of justification by faith. Long before Moses was given the 10 Commandments. Long before the ceremonial laws and requirements were set. Long before the Jewish teachers added their 613 rules that were to assure the 10 were not violated. Longer still before St. Paul would write: “By grace you have been saved, through faith…” (Ephesians 2:8).

James warns that one may believe that God is one and yet not have faith (James 2:19). Faith is far more than having a correct understanding of the nature of God. Don’t get me wrong: we need to embrace what God has revealed of himself in Scripture. But it is vital, too, to remember that we know precious little about God. But the remainder of that statement is vitally important as well: The little we know is precious.

Abram knows that God has made a promise. He realizes that God is serious about that promise. He also hears the promise again. And he believes the promise. Abram considers God worthy of his faith. He imputes goodness and faithfulness to God’s character. God imputes righteousness to Abram.

This is another thing I believe better than I can explain: Faith is all about God, and our assessment of his nature and being. If we’re wrong about that, we are in grave danger. Thankfully we’ve been shown the nature of God in Jesus of Nazareth. We see grace and truth perfectly married in his life and being. And we have the promise that if we believe in Jesus, we too will be counted righteous. That’s not something we gin up within ourselves. It’s something that God inspires by the revelation of his grace and truth, goodness, and righteousness.

Abram was shown the stars of heaven and he believed. We’ve seen the One who made the stars, nailed to a cross for us. Raised from the dead. Promising that he will return in glory. I believe in him. How about you?

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After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. – Genesis 15:1-6

We’re enjoying a wonderful time with family in northern Wisconsin. Two of our grandchildren are here, together with their parents, as well as a cousin of theirs and his parents. It’s been a wonderful 4th of July, replete with hikes to a beautiful waterfall, a wade in Lake Superior, and floating in the lake at Cat’s parents’ home.

I’m struck by the innocent unpretentious nature of our grandchildren. They ask straight forward questions: “Granddad, why do you …” Or, “Gram, can you help me…” They simply rely on our goodness and grace. They presume we’ll be truthful and gracious. We try.

Abram offers the same unpretentious and innocent question of God. “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”

There is no easy out for God. Abram doesn’t crouch his words or wishes. He simply offers God this direct and challenging query. I’m supposed to be the father of many nations, and I don’t yet have a child of my own. How’s that going to work?

Seems to me that we Jesus-Followers don’t want to take God at his word. It’s like we want to believe God will answer our prayers, but we’re not really ready to go out on a limb to ask.

We want healing, and we ask for patience and health. We don’t ask, “God heal me, please.”

We want a better job and we ask God for an opportunity to make a better living.

We want to have things better with our children, and we ask for peace in our households.

None of these are wrong in and of themselves. But I wonder whether we ever believe we can let God know the true desires of our hearts.

Once Jesus asked a blind man, “What do you want me to do for you?” The answer was as simple as the question, “Lord, that I may see.”

If you could ask God for anything, what would it be? Can you be honest with God? Can you let him know your heart’s desires? Can you lay it out there in a way that makes you and God vulnerable? You might be disappointed. He may not meet your request.

Abram gets real with God, and the Lord provides a real and specific promise. We’ll learn more about how this goes as this narrative unfolds. In the meantime, let’s use Abram as an example of true faith, and bring to God that which is on our hearts, confident of God’s goodness, and his promises to hear those who call on him in faith.

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