God made a covenant with Abraham

God told Abraham: Go outside and count the stars in the sky, if you can. So shall your descendants be. Your descendants shall be numerous as the stars in the sky and sands on the shore. Jeff Cavins, a convert to the Catholicism, created the Bible Study Program called the Bible Timeline, once shared that when we read the passage, we may think that God called Abraham to go outside and count the stars in the evening.  But when we read the story, what if we can imagine that the story took place during the day. During the day, the stars are hidden behind the clouds.  The moral of the story is that Abraham needed to trust God.

It is believed that Abraham was in his old age when God made a covenant with Abraham, promising that Abraham will be the Father of many nations, Abraham will receive lots of land, and Abraham's name, his reputation will be positive and will be remembered.  This is the three fold blessings of the covenant.  Many years have passed, and the promises have not been fulfilled.  Both Abraham and Sarah were still childless. They have not received any land, and their reputation was still the same. Abraham had many reasons to doubt God's promises. Yet, he still believe that deep down, God would keep his covenant, so Abraham persevered in hope.

In today's story, perhaps, you may feel like Abraham did. Maybe you are waiting for a loved one to be healed, a broken relationship to be restored, or a wayward child to return to God.  As time passes and you wait for signs that your prayers will be answered, it is not easy to keep hope alive. Sometimes you may wonder if God has forgotten about you, or you may even question whether God is faithful to His promises.

Abraham and Sarah at first, didn't trust in God. They took matters into their own hands. Sarah gave her servant to Abraham. The result is a child named Ishmael.  Ishmael was not the chosen one that God had intended to part of the covenant.  It was suppose to be Isaac, the child of Abraham and Sarah.  But from the story, God always delivers on his promises.  But it's important to trust and wait for His promises to be fulfilled.

In our culture today, one of the most difficult things to do is to wait and be patient.  We are pronte to immediate gratification.  If we wanted something, we wanted it yesterday.  That is why one of the valuable lessons that we learn during the Advent Season is to wait, and to be patient.

Personal Story/Illustration: I remember when I was first ordained, and after one year as an assistant, I wanted to be a Pastor right away.  So I called the Vicar of Clergy, and made my request.  The Vicar of Clergy politely declined my request.  But after another year, I got to become Pastor.  In retrospect, I should've waited another 5 years.  

The Lord invites us to see the value in being patient and trusting in God.  God will always deliver on his promises, but it is according to his will, and according to his time. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

The Covenant Story of Abraham and Sarah continues.  From the story, we can see that life can be complex at times.  Sarah gives Abraham her Egyptian servant.  They have a child named Ishamel.  But Sarah mistreats her, and Hagar has to flee into the wilderness.  Life can be very complex, especially when we try to take matters into our own hands.  One mistake leads to another, and they find themselves in more problems, as Sarah despises her servant, Hagar, for having a child while she couldn't have one.  But God is good, and the Lord God intervenes into their life, and remedies the situation. God protects Hagar and her child, Ishmael while they were in the desert. Our God is good to us that often times, He protects us from ourselves. Sometimes when we are helpless, we need divine intervention and assistance. How often if we need something done, we believe that we can take care of these things ourselves. Rather than depending upon God to help us. 

In our morning prayer, we also begin with “God, come to my assistance.” In moments of helplessness, God wants us to seek His help and assistance. And it sometimes can be more effective than doing things on our own.