March 13 2022 2nd Sunday of Lent
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.
From Genesis 15:5-12,17-18, NRSV
This promise must have seemed incredible to Abram who was at this point an ageing, childless nomad. Incredible as it seemed, Abram did believe in the Lord’s promise and his trust was sufficient for God ‘s promise to be eventually fulfilled. It had been some time since God had called Abram and little had happened in the meantime to convince Abram that God had a great plan for him. Abram had even changed his will in favour of a near relative having given up on the hope of having a child of his own. Yet, in God’s time, all that had been promised came to be and Abraham is still honoured as “our father in faith”.
- What do you suppose brought Abram to this point of belief?
- What are the promises that keep your faith alive in times of difficulty?
Pray for those who fear the future and who cannot look forward in hope – you might especially like to remember all Ukrainian refugees at this time.
