04 March 2010 Devotion for Today "Starry, Starry Night" Genesis 15:1-6

Thursday, March 04, 2010

10:23 AM

^{1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."}

^{2 But Abram said, "Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!"}

^{4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir." 5 Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be."}

^{6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:1-6)}

 
 

I seldom read this passage without thinking of Don McClean's song "Vincent" that I remember listening to in junior high school. He sings of Vincent Van Gogh's impressionable capture of a starlit sky. Although his attempt is breathtaking and marvelous, the artist finds himself frustrated and incapable of capturing the night sky's brilliance totally on canvas as he gazes toward the heavens. Abram feels somewhat the same way as the Lord appears to him in a vision one night, telling him not to fear for God reveals to his servant the two things that Abram fears the most- a lack of security and a lack of posterity. You remember Abram's fear of insecurity caused him to compromise his integrity and lie about the true identity of his wife. Abram also feared that, though God had caused him to prosper greatly, the only one to whom he would leave his legacy of great wealth would be a servant and no one of his own flesh and blood. God calls Abram's attention to the dazzling brilliance of the night and relates a promise of a descendants as many as the infinite number of stars up in the sky. Even though Abram by this time was old, he refused to discount the promises or the God who made them. By faith Abram trusted God and because he did this, Abram receive another reward in the mix- the righteousness of God.

 
 

In other words, because Abram believed God, he trusted. And because Abram trusted, Abram was saved. By definition, salvation depends upon reaching out for help beyond oneself and accepting the help that is offered. Before one can be rescued from a capsizing ship on a storm-tossed sea, one must grab the hand of the rescue swimmer lowered from the winch of a Coast Guard helicopter. He will be pulled to safety even though all that he owns is swallowed up by the waves. If someone in that position could save himself, he would not require the services of the rescue team at all. The reward of having accepted the help is not only being able to live another day, but also valuing one's life in a way one has never seen before. Like a canvas full of gleaming diamonds, the gift of life takes on more brilliance than ever. One's prospects in this way become endless.

 
 

Do you see your life as having very little to look forward to, or to have another take from you what they did not earn or value? Looking inward does not hold for us very promising prospects, does it? It is not until we look to God by faith to we truly find hope and promise the way that Abram did. We will find our potential in Christ limited only by the infinite number of stars in the sky.

 
 

Prayer: Dear Lord, I lack the courage and the confidence to realize my potential until I see it in You. Thank you for the promise of such future prospects in spite of the way that things look right now. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

 
 

Have a blessed day.