God's Promises and My Expectations ...

Wednesday, Sept 18, 2013. What is it that you expect from God? What is it that you expect from your life? Do you want to become rich? Do you what to have a lot of fun? Are you longing for having a large family, with a lot of kids? Do you want to become an artist, or an adventurer, or a scientist? What is it that you want to do, to be, be experience?

What God Promises Abraham …

Reading the first biblical book, the book of Genesis, we come to a part today where God gives promises to Abraham, to the great believer. Abraham just made important decisions, when he got into conflicts with Lot, his brothers son. In this particular situation, God gives far reaching promises to Abraham (still called Abram at that point in time):

14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 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.” 18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord. (Genesis 13: 14-18) God promises land and people to Abraham. At that point in time, Abraham did not have any land, and he did not have a son. We have a person who has faith, but there are things missing, and it must have been an important topic in the life of Abraham. What can you expect? … When you read these promises, it is remarkable that they are quite far reaching. God promises to give Abraham a lot of land, he is giving it to him and his offspring forever. And he is pointing him to the dust, who no one can count. His offspring shall be as numerous as the dust - that is strong language to promise many descendents! Today, we see three main lines where this promise has become reality. First, Abraham is the father of the people of Israel, and this is God's own people, a great nation which has influenced the global world ever since it came into existence. Second, his son Ismael is called the father of the Arabic nations and Islam (note that some also further ancestors involved here). Third, Jesus and Christianity arose from Abraham, and Christians see themselves as sons and daughters of Abraham in faith**, since they share his trust in the living God. The term “sons of Abraham” is of eminent importance in the New Testament. So we can state that the promise, as strong as it sounds, seems to have had unbelievable impact!

But finally, the passage asks us the question: what do you expect from the Lord. What are his promises for your life? We live in the time where the New Testament provides a whole collection of further fascinating promises which are given to everyone who believes in Christ Jesus. It is no longer land, which is promised, but peace of the heart, wisdom of the spirit and full reconciliation with the living God. (Roland Potthast) ... more texts