Genesis 15:1-6 (NRSV)
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Chapter 15After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great."
Verse 2But Abram said, "O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" Verse 3And Abram said, "You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir." Verse 4But the word of the Lord came to him, "This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir." Verse 5He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be." Verse 6And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.
Devotion
The Lord made a covenant with Abram that brought great blessing: his descendants would number more than the stars. Abram believed the Lord and was declared righteous. Martin Luther noted, “Faith is commended in this exchange for the first time in Scripture.” And as faith was important for Abram, so faith is important for us, too.
Faith is a gift from the Lord. It is evidence that the Holy Spirit is working in our lives. It reminds us that we belong to the Lord. It is a sign of our relationship to the Lord. It enables us to speak to one another of our belief in the Lord. It provides a shelter from the storms of life. With Abram we too hear the promise: “Do not be afraid, I am your shield."
Prayer
Creator of the Covenant, we praise you for the gift of faith. May our faith in you be made strong this day. Through this gift draw us close to you and bless us. We pray this in your holy name. Amen.