WordLive - Year OneSample

Prepare: ‘Lord, it is hard to wait in the silence and the dark. Help me to be sure of what I hope for and certain of what I do not see, and never to doubt your goodness.’ An improbable promise Abraham heard from God on many occasions, and each time God spoke about the great nation that he would build from his descendants (12:2; 13:15–17; 15:4–6,18; 17:1; 18:10). Each time, Abraham became a little more sceptical about how God would fulfil his promise. By the time he was 100, he laughed to himself at the sheer improbability of the idea, even as he fell face down in acknowledgement of God’s holiness (v 17). Would God perhaps like to change the terms of the agreement, and transfer the blessing to the son he has by another woman? Faithful obedience Abraham and Sarah had a long, barren wait. But while they might have questioned whether God would ever deliver (pun intended!), they were faithful and obedient. Today’s reading concludes with Abraham fulfilling his part of the covenant by circumcising all the males in his household (v 23). We all live awaiting the new age to come, when God will wipe every tear from our eyes, and there will be no more suffering or pain (Revelation 21:4). He is faithful to his promises, but in the meantime, how shall we live? Respond: Are you waiting for God to act in a seemingly impossible situation? Ask him to renew your faith and to comfort you in your pain. http://www.wordlive.org/Session/Classic/2012-04-10