When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.”
Genesis 17:1-5
Just Like He Promised
Devotion based on Genesis 17:1-5
See series: Devotions
As a father, I want to give my kids the world. I want to take them places and give them memorable experiences. There have been times when in my excitement to bless my kids, I make promises to them that I can’t keep.
Did your parents ever do something similar to you? Did they ever over-promise and under-deliver?
Our Heavenly Father made a promise to the first Hebrew, Abraham, 2000 years before Jesus was born. He promised to turn Abraham’s descendants into a great nation that would bless the world. The Lord God confirmed that promise with an oath, called a covenant, which means that he was committing himself to keep this promise.
But for most of Israel’s history, it seemed like the heavenly Father was acting like earthly fathers. He seemed to be breaking his promise to his people. Instead of being a great people, they were a small, harassed group with little prestige or honor among the nations.
But then Jesus, a descendant of Abraham, was born. After he lived, died, and rose on behalf of us all, people from all nations put their faith in him. They were baptized and became children of God. And in that way, believers from all over the world have become “descendants of Abraham.” The oath that God swore to Abraham has come true!
Our Heavenly Father is not like earthly fathers. He always keeps his promises. So, you can be sure he will keep all his promises to you.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for being faithful to all of your promises. Amen.