ESOCS Devotional 13 December 2023 – Believe in the Lord
MEMORY VERSE: “And he believed in the LORD, and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Genesis 15: 6
TEXT: GENESIS 15: 1 – 6 (KJV)
After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
2 And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
4 And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
Our text for today relates a portion of the life of Abraham, or Abram, as he was still called. Scripture regularly presents Abraham as “the father of faith,” a prime example of someone who was sure of what [he hoped] for and certain of what [he did] not see (Hebrews 11:1).
Abram was now about 80-85 years old, and he believed God would make him a great nation, and that the world would be blessed through him. He believed that in order to make this happen, he needed a son. But here he is in the land of Canaan, over 80 years old, and it has been 5-10 years since God made the promise. He’s not getting any younger. So, Abram is worried about the promise. He wants the promise. Abram is not asking for a child for his own self. More than that he desires the child in order to fulfill God’s promise, and he is fearing this will not happen.
And the final verse of our text tells us why Abram is called “father of faith”: Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. Abraham believed God’s promises, staked his life and his eternity on them – and through this hand of faith God gave Abraham the righteousness that he needed to be saved from final judgment and receive the gift of eternal life. Through faith, God gave himself to Abraham as his shield and reward.
This verse sums up Abram’s life, but it tells us so much more about how salvation works. What does it mean that “Abram believed the Lord?” According to Rom 4:21, Abram was “fully persuaded that God had the power to do what he had promised.” This can be another definition of faith (the primary is one given in Hebrews 11:1). What is faith? What is believing in God? It is being fully persuaded. Fully persuaded, that God had the power to do what he had promised. Abram was fully persuaded. Are you fully persuaded that God has the power to do what he promised? This whole chapter is about God persuading us that he can and he will keep his promises.
What God is to Abram, he also is to us. He is our shield, our sovereign and protector. Is God also your very great reward? Is God more than enough for you, or do you desire the things of this world over God? You can be completely satisfied in God if only you believe in Him.
- What challenge are you encountering that is making you feel God is not with you? What is that difficulty that wants to make you give up on God? God’s promises are ever sure … just believe!!!
- Lord, help me to never doubt your promises upon my life in Jesus name. Amen.
FURTHER READING: Genesis 44:1-17; John 6:30–40; Revelation 8: 1 – 13
ESOCS Devotional 13 December 2023
