Genesis 15:1-6 (NRSV)
Read Genesis 15:1-6 on biblegateway.com
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
Before I married and became a parent, I was, let's face it, pretty impulsive. If something caught my fancy and seemed — emphasizing the word "seemed" — desirable, I would move pretty quickly to pursue whatever it was. Sometimes it worked; other times I rued my rash decision. Now that I am older — ancient in some eyes — I've learned to curb my initial impulse by stopping, counting to ten, discussing it with wise friends and a wise spouse, asking good questions, and praying. Lo and behold, more often than not, I find my decisions to be better grounded.
Abram thought he had things thought out and had a solution to his problem of finding an heir. As the social media expression goes, LOL (laugh out loud)! God had something better in store, something Abram could have never imagined.
Isn't this often the case? We plan, finagle, scheme, fret; we attempt to control our circumstances, but God — that Cosmic Jester — grabs us, gives us a wakeup call, and then invites us to dream dreams that on our own we could never have imagined.
Prayer
Dear God, when I am captive to my own small vision of how things "ought to be," please give me a kick in my pants and surprise me to dream dreams, think creatively and courageously, and willingly commit my life into your future and kingdom. Amen.