Genesis Day 30: God does not give up on you—even when you are as good as dead
There is this inner (spoiled) child in me that shouts, “I want it now!”
How about you?
Now before you tell me you are not like that; can I just point out how “two-day free shipping” has become the norm? For a quick up-charge, you can have it tomorrow!
Then there are the drive-thru lines. Are you good at waiting in them? Do you have an internal clock that at some point starts alarming because your personally established 45-second wait limit has been violated? Don’t believe me? Time yourself next trip through.
I just got back from some foreign travel. I was getting an upgrade to a better seat (before you judge me, it was a 15-hour flight, and the upgrade $200, worth every penny).
You would think I would be thrilled at the deal. I was… for about 5 minutes. You see, it took 24 minutes to process the upgrade. Now, the customer service was outstanding. Because of language barriers, they used pictures to walk me through the process. They had obviously done this before. So why, why, after they escorted me to the place that took my credit card, and additionally pointed out my credit card was always in plain sight, why was I getting impatient?
Perhaps the answer is, I am a putz. By God’s grace, the Holy Spirit kind of smacked me in the head when I realized the ridiculousness of my emotions.
That was for a 24-minute wait… how about a 24-year wait!
Where did 24 years come from? Let’s think about God and Abram.
While it is true that almost every time we read about Abram, it seems like he is in this continuous conversation with God, or that God is continuously present to him—it is quite the opposite.
He is 75 years-old when God tells him to set out on this journey. 12:2
After their little adventure in Egypt, Abram and Lot separate. Abram settles in Canaan and the Lord again promises Abram numerous offspring. 13:12-14
After a little war to rescue Lot, God again promises Abram to bless him with offspring as numerous as the stars. 15:5.
After Abram is in the land of Canaan for 10 years, Sari and he decide to take matters into their own hands, and he sleeps with Hagar, leading to the birth of Ishmael. Abram was 86 years old. 16:16.
Now Abram is 99 years-old, and God again tells him that he will possess Canaan as an everlasting possession—and he shall be the father of many nations.
In tomorrow’s post, I will muse about circumcision.
Today I want to ask you to observe that Abram’s five encounters with God cover 24 years. In each encounter God is making the same promise—and He has yet to fulfill it.
You will note Abram’s concern for Ishmael. The young man is 13 years old. I expect Abram is invested in his son.
God honors Abram’s concern for his son, but returns again to the theme that He, God, has been espousing for a quarter-of-a-century.
Abram may think that when it comes to siring a child, he is as good as dead…but God has not given up on Abram.
Do you see the steadfastness of God? God is still there.
How about your life? Is God there for you?
In chapter 17 of Genesis, God promises Abram (now Abraham) that he will be the father of many nations. When you become follower of Jesus, you become part of the fulfillment of this bold and far reaching promise.
You are “grafted into” this earthly family—and you become sons and daughters of the eternal family of God. (Eph 2:11-13).
My brothers and sisters, God is rarely early, but never late!
He will never leave you, nor forsake you. God is there for you!