LIVING BY FAITH
Opening Prayer
Loving Lord, I want my life to show the difference Your indwelling presence makes. Continue Your transforming work in me as I seek to live for Your glory.
Read Genesis 17:15–27
15 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”
19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac.[a] I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” 22 When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.
23 On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, 25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen; 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day. 27 And every male in Abraham’s household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.
Footnotes
- Genesis 17:19 Isaac means he laughs.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
‘Faith is being sure … of what we do not see’ (Hebrews 11:1, NIRV). How’s your faith today?Abraham, despite all that God has promised, still struggles with unbelief about the promise that he will have a son (17). His way through this is to look for obvious practical solutions (18), even if they might be second best. His laughter at God’s repeated reassurance is probably not joyful, but bitter, and even cynical. Living by faith involves accepting a constant tension between what we actually see in front of us and trusting in the dark (Hebrews 11:1,2). Perhaps you have been waiting a very long time for God to answer your prayers. Take courage from this today.
The long wait is almost over, and God helps Abraham to prepare for the event by revealing more detail of His plans (19–22). The child will be called Isaac, and he will be born within the year. More importantly, the reason for his birth is now made clear. Isaac will carry the covenant promise forward (21), his own life story being its best illustration.
For us, like Abraham and Sarah, we may need God’s prompting to remember that His plan for us and our family is part of a much bigger and longer story.
Apply
Sometimes when we are in the middle of a waiting season, we forget how good God is. Write down a list of all the reasons that help you know that God is good.
Closing prayer
Lord God, today I trust again in Your promises. Help me to trust You in the dark, and when I cannot see the way ahead.
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