Genesis Sixteen - Faith, Trust and Hope

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

Genesis 16:1-2

There is a lot to be spoken of Sarai. She was a lovely lady who God loved and chose for His purpose in bringing forward redemption to mankind. However, prior to that occurring, it seems as if she was lacking patience, for she had heard from Abram that she was to receive a son-albeit not exactly a specific timeline but at some point in her future. Sure that may be the exact reason yet that however I believe is simply not the only case. She had patience, years of it in fact. Yet, her own carnal thoughts crept in and made her think of other ways to maneuver around God's design- "Perhaps it's by my servant Hagar that I am to receive a child?" Her trust in God's word was wavering. Thinking that perhaps she was too confident in His promise for a child and humbling herself in a self-degrading way- shouting to her own faith that it's not by her but through another. Her trust in God's word, her faith in His promise and the patience to endure the wait was all being questioned.

Even Abram though hearing directly from God Himself still chose to hear out Sarai for she spoke of reasonable ideas. As if it was a justified reaction in their patience, taking a hold of God's promises on their own. They stopped focusing on God's timing and allowed their thoughts to go towards a semi-rebellious route that has caused and even is now causing such a devastating impact on the middle eastern society.. Not focusing on His goodness and acknowledging too much of my weakness.. Isn't how we all are at times... How foolish we may seem to the heavenly hosts to think that our actions would bring life abundantly.. may the Lord have mercy upon sinners such as Sarai, Abram, and myself...

Genesis Fifteen - Sola Fide

"Then he believed in the Lord;
and He reckoned it to him as righteousness."

Genesis 15:6

Recently I heard the phrase by R.C. Sproul "It is one thing to believe in God; it is quite another to believe God." How true that is! There is no doubt the God is alive and well, to believe in His existence is a grace that God gives to all His creation. But to believe God in His authority and word and power- that is something else entirely. Only by the Holy Spirit is it quite possible and it's counted to the believer as righteousness. Sola Fide - Faith Alone. It is by faith alone which is pleasing to the Lord. Abram not knowing where to go or what to expect obediently left his homeland and believed that the Lord was to bless him in baring children with his wife Sarai. He did nothing to earn that love from God but simply by having faith that the Lord will grant what He promised. And what a grand and amazing promise that was..

Contrasting to Abram's faith, my own has been so poor as of late.. So many things are falling on me and I know not what to do other than to go to scriptures for that is where all the answers lay. May the Lord grant me rest in His bosom. May the Lord grant me discernment in the situations that He grants. May the Lord humble His people and lift His name up for He is good..

Genesis Fourteen - Allies of Abram

"Now the Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits,
and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, and the rest fled to the hill country. So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. They also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way. Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram."

Genesis 14:10-13

Chaos and brutality was all around when the War of Nine Kings was occurring. Bitumen pits (tar pits) were the foundations and it seems as if the Earth was recoiling with the people that were living on it. Lot, being caught in the middle of this mess, was taken and ones who had escaped told Abram. The men did not need to go to Abram, they could have just went on his way to live their life that was interrupted by these battles. Yet still, he went to Abram, knowing that there will be justice brought by the righteous for those who suffered. Being an ally of the one who is with the Lord will time and time again be proven not only in scriptures but in this current life as well.

Abram sought Lot after he was held captive and he didn't rely on anything but solely on the Lord's provision of his men- fought and won. Mind you he was around 80 years old at the time so it's intense to think of how much strength he had and the faith that went with that desire to free his nephew and the people that were with him. He knew that without the Lord there would have been no victory and so he gave a tenth of his wealth to the most high priest to give thanks to God, even when there was no law in place to make him do so, but he did it simply out of the abundance of his heart. God pursues Abram during difficult times and painful times.. How gracious is He to bestow his priceless love... may we always be in full gratitude and awe of the wonder and loftiness of the holiest One. No matter the circumstances..

Genesis Thirteen - Lift Up Your Eyes

"... Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are..."

Genesis 13:14

Before there were any of Abram's own children there was Lot his nephew. As God blessed Abram's family both Abram and Lot were accumulating a lot of wealth. Abram told Lot to go away so that there may be no strife between either party, and so Lot seeing in his own eyes how lush it was towards the wicked land that was sinning against God he left. Abram no doubt was saddened by the departing of his beloved nephew and that's where God comes into the picture. He desires Abram to lift his head from where he is and to look beyond the current pain. The current departing of his beloved family member and to trust in the promise of God's blessing of creating the descendants of Abram to be as dust in population.

How loving was the Lord to comfort Abram to remind him of the promise, to remind him that this is not the end. How precious the godly man must be to the Creator's eyes. Not that Abram deserved any of it but that it was freely a gracious choice God had in that particular man's life. I don't desire offspring (at the moment), though children are indeed a blessing and it would be an absolute honor to be a mother. I don't desire things, though I do understand that through using all things to glorify the Lord is a blessing. There are so many of my failures in front of me that I dare not tread on certain things lightly as Lot had. I do however know that I desire to be loved as Abram was loved by the Lord. A righteous man who was focused on glorifying and thanking the Lord with all that he did..

A friend of mine has parted from this physical world. It was a tragedy that I did not foresee. How I desire now to have spoken with her to see if all was well. A woman who was gentle and joyful in all that she did and desired to do God's desires. My mind cannot yet grasp the reality of her departure. How short this life is. I fully recognize it yet my mind refuses to dwell there. My mind terrified of certain aspects of my life and death has dared not go beyond a certain point of self-reflection. How wicked am I.. How sinful I must be to be so blind to it.. May the Lord be gracious to me and forgive me of my selfishness.. May my friend be dwelling in the house of the Lord from her death into all of eternity. May you rest in the bosom of the Lord sweet Leah Silvain, and I hope to see you then face to face with all the joy and mercy God grants to His children..

Genesis Twelve - Go, That I Will Show You

"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. 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. 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.”

Genesis 12:1-3

How intense the faith of Abram was when he left everything he knew to be obedient. He was confident in the Lord's promise to bless him and that was enough for him. Oh, how such a grain of a mustard seed became a tree bearing fruits! The fruits of the mercy and grace of God towards His chosen disciples. How loving He is continually to even give the breath of life to those who continually blaspheme His name and reject those who are continuing to call them to repent.. Indeed the secret things of God is His own and the revealed things are to us. I imagine it's not even close to 0.1% of how immense He is..

It's so difficult to grasp the trust Abram had in the Lord. I mean, not only do I lack the trust that he so had been given but I lack trust and faith for a number of reasons especially from my childhood which I probably would never really go into depth with anyone for it is quite a burden to bear. Yet I know that God is indeed bigger than all.. None of these "psychological factors" are of any excuse when you know God is in control of all things for the good of His people and for His own glory..

My doubts shout over the logic that is bestowed on me in the Bible. Yet the same Bible shouts all the more over my already weakened faith of God's justice over the wicked. And I am as wicked as they come. Had He already passed judgement upon me? Or am I allowed to continue to seek for deliverance over my own depravity..? I pray the battle has not been lost already. I cannot bare to think of the hopelessness that would come if God were to abandon me in this moment of my short life..

Genesis Eleven - Order Into Void

 "Come, let us go down and there confuse their language,
so that they may not understand one another's speech.”
8 So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth,
and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel,
because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth.
And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth."

Genesis 11:7-9

When God said "let there be light" the light could not help but break through the darkness. "Order" could not help itself from forming into the "void" that is nothing when God spoke it into existence. Which goes to say, in the beginning of creation when God blessed man to be fruitful and multiply it was more of a blessed command "fill the earth" that was to be followed. However, man yet again being corrupt in their way of thinking even after the flood they chose to disobey that command and altogether "settled" in a main area. Even in that sinful state of mind, God's decree- embedded within them to grow, went up instead of out and the abominable creation of the tower of Babel was forming.

God, able to immediately create multiple languages and break down the disobedience they were committing was loving and gracious enough not to destroy them (yet again.) It wasn't so that they don't reach the heavens in their quest to build upwards, it even states that God had to come down to see the tower! It was a merciful act from God so that His creation would not bring upon themselves further wrath from the Perfect God. What took humans countless manpower and days to create one tall tower God was able to not only destroy it but disperse said people into different nations. Which goes to say, to test the boundaries of science and nature apart from God's decree is a terrifying thing to comprehend...