23 June 2021

He brought him outside and said, ‘Look towards heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 15:1-12,17-18, NRSV

Although God had previously promised Abram that from him would come a great nation, time had gone by and Abram and his wife Sarai were still childless. In his anxiety and  desire for God’s promise to be fulfilled, Abram proposed that a member of his household could be adopted as his heir. In answer, God reassured Abram that his heir would be “of his own flesh and blood”. Abram was then led outside, and prompted to count the stars if he could. Obviously there were too many stars for Abram to be able to do this and he was again reassured that his descendants would be as numerous. This seems to have “swung it” for Abram who, we are told, believed the Lord.

• • Why do you think Abram’s faith in God’s promise was restored?
  • What has helped you to overcome “wobbles” in your own faith?

Pray today for those who face challenges to their faith.