This a strange time and we don’t know what we’re dealing with. We only partially understand COVID-19. It’s like a much worse version of the flu. What will the shutdowns do to our prosperity? We’re reminded of the Spanish Flu pandemic over 100 years ago and the Great Recession of a decade ago but we’re not sure how they compare with what we face. How long will this be? We don’t know. How bad will this be? We don’t know.
As Christians, we know that our future is incredibly bright because of Jesus Christ. We have promises from God himself. So how do we navigate our time with these problems and promises?
Maybe our situation isn’t as unusual as we feel it is. Let’s take a quick tour through Abraham’s life story.
Think about when Abraham first appears on the scene in the Bible.
Genesis 12:1–4
[1] Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. [2] And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. [3] I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
[4] So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
This was not a particularly convenient time, at 75 years old, he was already established where he was and now God was telling him to move away from the place and the people he knew and trust God’s promises of fame, fortune, and family.
Abraham did believe God and he went but it didn’t always seem to go well.
Genesis 12:10
Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.
Even in that trouble God blessed Abraham:
Genesis 13:2
Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.
We see both trouble and blessing
Genesis 13:8–11
[8] Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. [9] Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.”
[10] And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) [11] So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other.
Abraham just lost all the good stuff. Lot rudely responded to his generous offer by taking all of the river valley. God responded to Abraham’s shock and sense of loss by reiterating and expanding his promises.
Genesis 13:15–17
[15] for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. [16] I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. [17] Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.”
Abraham responded to Lot’s selfishness with generosity and rescued him from his troubles.
Genesis 14:14–16
[14] When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. [15] And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. [16] Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.
Abraham’s life is pretty epic, isn’t it? As an older man God made him rich, brought him safely through famine, used him win a war to rescue Lot, the one who had wronged him. Faith in God has brought Fame, yes, fortune, yes, but still no family.
Genesis 15:1–2
[1] After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” [2] But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
Abraham still doesn’t have that promise of family and tried to solve the problem himself–after having waited 11 years.
Genesis 16:16
Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.
Finally, in 24 years from the first promise, Abraham is reminded of God’s promise–still to come.
Genesis 17:1–2
[1] When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, [2] that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.”
What do we see in God dealing with Abraham?
- God gave Abraham tremendous promises.
- Abraham didn’t know when God would give him what was promised.
- Abraham was given much by God in the intervening time but…
- Abraham had to wait a very long time.
- At no time did God tell Abraham it will be 13 more years or 25 years total. Only at the end was he told, one year more.
What should we see in God dealing with us?
- Haven’t we also been given tremendous promises by God for our future?
- Like Abraham, God has promised us a huge family, a new home.
- God has promised us home with him in a new Heaven and new Earth.
- God’s reign will be on earth directly.
- The things we hate will be wiped away. There will be no more sickness, no more death, no more injustice.
- We have a lot already–joy in Christ, a new nature, brothers and sisters here in our community. You can visit a church on the other side of the globe and be welcome and at home.
But, like Abraham, we don’t know when we’ll be fully given what was promised. We’ll have to wait a while and we don’t know how long. It feels long to be restricted at home and not know when the next stage will happen, doesn’t it? But this is exactly the problem Abraham faced in his time.
What we have to deal with is much more normal than what we feel should happen. We want to know what the timetable is. How often do we get that? We want to move out very quickly and we don’t want to deal with uncertainties. But there are many uncertainties.
Keep in mind that the God’s promises to us are to give us hope. God’s fulfilled his promises to Abraham and to us are to remind us of how faithful God is. Be willing to let go of the timing. It is in God’s hands.
Abraham trusted God’s promises in his life, and the greatest of God’s promises to him were still to come. But they came–Jesus is the one in whom “all the nations of the earth are blessed”. Yes, Abraham fathered a small nation but now he is “father of the faithful” from every kindred, tribe, people, and language. That promised family includes every Christian and is still growing.
Trust God to accomplish his promises, as Abraham did–they are the same promises we trust in.