City Life Starter

Written by Megan Meier

The Word

“I will make you [Abram] into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.”

Genesis 12:2

“I will bless her [Sarah] and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

Genesis 17:16

Reflection

When Abram was seventy-five, God promised he would be the patriarch of a great nation and changed his name to Abraham which means the “father of many nations”. Although God kept him safe through many dangers, Abram must have been quite insecure as he not once, but twice told his wife Sarai (later Sarah) to pretend to be his sister because he feared being murdered and had a son with her servant Hagar (Abram and Sarai would have benefited from marriage counseling). Years later, God told Abraham he would have a son with Sarah to specify exactly where the lineage would come from. God kept His Promise and a year later a 100 year old Abraham and a 90 year old Sarah had a child by the name of Isaac. Abraham might have relied too much on the security of Isaac as the heir as God asked Abraham to sacrifice him as a test, which he passed. God saved Isaac at the last minute by providing a sacrificial goat (Isaac must have slept with one eye open from then on).

God kept His Word and today Abraham is known as a great patriarch in Jewish and Arabic cultures (remember the song “Father Abraham Had Many Sons”? Right arm, left arm, right foot, left foot, chin up, turn around, sit down!).

Application

Through all the hardships and trials, God kept His Word, and He still does. Completely relying on a “what” whether it’s a thing or an idea, or a “who”, even if that “who” is ourselves, leads to disappointment and even disaster. Only in God do we have true security, He won’t let us down, and He will keep His Word.

Prayer

Dearest Jesus, thank You that in You, I have true security. Thank You that You keep Your Promises. In Your name I pray, amen.