Lent, Day 8: "SEE THESE STARS; TRY TO COUNT THEM

Scripture:  Genesis 15: 1-8, 18

Focus on the Word

God took the old man outside, and in the darkness pointed him to the heavens, and said to him, “See these stars; try to count them.  You can’t.  There are too many of them.  You are going to have a son and over the years the number of your descendants are going to be like these stars, too many to count.”

So, at the age of 75 Abram began to think about becoming a first time father.  It took a little faith to process it all.  After all, Sarai was 65 at the time of the promise.  To complicate matters, after the promise Abram and Sarai went into a long period of waiting. Year after year they tried to have a child. As the years passed these two old folks kept getting older.  It looked like time was working against them. A lot of questions came into their minds.  Where is God?  What about the promise?  Has God forgotten?  Does God care?  What’s going on.  

The years kept coming, twenty-four, in fact.  Now Abram, whose name had been changed to Abraham was 99 and Sarai, whose name was changed to Sarah, was 89.  Things are not looking good. 

 

Then God showed up and told them, “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold Sarah your wife will have a son” (Genesis 18:10).  So, when Abraham was 100 years of age and Sarah was 90 years of age, Isaac was born.  A twenty-five year wait became the gateway to a mind-boggling, God’s anointed, future.

 

In the western world time is precious.  People say, “time is money,” which means make every minute count.  Time is too precious to be wasted.  Apparently, God tells time differently.  He has no problem with moving slowly and carefully, leaving those of us who believe in Him to slow down, think differently, and let God be God, not the clock.

Can we trust God when all around us is “evidence” that He is not present?  In our relationship with God have we clicked the stop watch, and anxiously, impatiently, and with no small degree of frustration judged God because He has dared operate on a timetable not of our making?  

Lent brings us back to that deeply spiritual place of being still and of waiting on God.  Slowing down in a hurry up world will not happen without intention. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God (NIV).” Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, NIV).  Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD” (NIV). 

 

When it comes to God’s “Good and pleasing and perfect” will (Romans 12:2, NIV), rush and hurry and push and shove are not on His agenda.  Let’s not put them on ours.

Today’s Prayer

Slow me down, Lord. Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind. Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time. Give me, amidst the confusion of my day, the calmness of everlasting hills.  (Wilfred Peterson, date unknown)