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Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

The Lord made great promises to Abram. He promised to give him the land of Canaan, that Abram’s name would be great, and that all people who blessed him would also be blessed. Abram was starting to see those promises come true, but there were other promises from God that Abram was having a hard time seeing.

God promised that all nations would be blessed through his offspring and that his descendants would be numerous. There was just one problem, Abram didn’t have any offspring yet. According to the custom of the time, Abram’s descendent would be his personal attendant.

But God assured Abram that he didn’t need to take matters into his own hands. God was in control, and God would give Abram a son from his own flesh and blood even though Abram and his wife were past the age of having children. That would be further proof that this was an act of God, not of man and that the Lord provides.

God’s promises are not always immediately visible, but they are always trustworthy. God promises peace, but you feel anxiety. God promises to take care of you, but you face financial crisis. God promises forgiveness, but you’re weighed down by guilt. God calls us to trust him, not our outward circumstances or feelings. Those things change, but God is constant. Even if it seems like God is slow in keeping a promise like to Abram to provide a son, God is faithful.

When we believe and trust God’s promises, God does the same thing for us that he did for Abram. He credits that trust as righteousness. God does that not because of how strong our faith is but because his promise is sure.

Lord, help me to trust your promises, even when I can’t see how they’ll come true. Strengthen my faith like Abram’s and remind me that your Word never fails. Amen.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.