Stepping Out In Faith

After 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." But Abram said, "O LORD GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir." But 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." He 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." And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:1-6 (NRSV)

Abram was a man in a seemingly impossible situation. He had been commissioned by God to leave his father's house and journey to an unknown destination. The commission came with a promise: God would bless him and his descendants immensely.

As wonderful as this promise was, it must have seemed just as impossible as the commission. Abram was advanced in years and his wife was barren. But despite the odds, Abram decided to believe the Lord. Abram took a leap of faith, trusting the word of an unseen God who made a never-ending covenant with him.

This is the kind of faith that pleases God. Faith requires that we do what God calls us to do. And God will back us with power and resources we otherwise wouldn't have so that we can step out in faith to obey God's call.

Written by Nelson Nwosu from Anambra, Nigeria.

Prayer: Faithful God, thank you for calling us to follow and serve you. Help us to rely on you as we step out in faith, in Jesus' name. Amen.