Genesis 17:5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.
At its heart, verse 5 feels almost a bit cruel–God is changing Abram’s name to Abraham “for I have made you a father of many nations,”–This said to Abram, father of only Ishmael, conceived with Sarai’s servant. But God is not cruel, so Abram, Abraham, makes the choice to trust His promise, even now at 99 years old, instead of being bitter about the current irony of the name change.
Genesis 17:6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.
I find myself in a similar position when life hits me out of nowhere. Things can feel cruel and spiteful, but that is not who God is. He is loving, gracious, compassionate, kind, uplifting. He’ll “call a spade a spade,” but He doesn’t intentionally harm people or make them suffer. So I am learning to slow down, to breathe, to say to myself, “This feels cruel (or mean or spiteful or….), but that is not who God is, so there must be something else going on here. Jesus, Help me.” I’m definitely a work in progress here.
Genesis 17:7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
Precious Savior, Thank You for the knowledge of who You are and who You are to me. Thank You for the ability to say, “This feels spiteful, mean, cruel, but that’s not who God is, so what else is going on here?” Help me, even when the road is rough, to trust You, to draw closer to You, to shine Your light. Always. Amen.
Genesis 17:8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
Have a blessed day.