Looking at the life of Abraham, what really were the promises God gave to him? They can be summed up in three (3) distinct headings; namely:
- I will make you a great nation;
- Depart… to a land that I will show you;
- In your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.
We know that God doesn’t make empty promises. He has the capacity to bring anything to pass. He speaks according to the level of his strength and capacity. When God said this to Abraham, it was only left for him to believe what was said. God is not a man that He should lie or change His words when faced with difficulty. He declares the end right from the very beginning. One scripture in the bible helps us know that God honors his word more than his name.
The intention of God for Abraham was to make him a great nation. To accomplish this, God changed his name from Abram to Abraham. He was called the Father of Many Nations when he hadn’t even had the promised child. When God speaks, He does so according to the level of His own might and power, and not according to our estimation of the severity of our predicament.
When God was talking to Abraham about making him a great nation, He was referring to the nation Israel. To date, the Jews occupy key leadership positions all over the world. When you look at the men and women who are currently dominating in various spheres of human endeavor, you will find Jews being prominent. God indeed has made his promise good concerning Abraham. The nation Israel occupies a land surrounded by hostile nations who are out to delete the country from the map in the Middle East. But over the years, Israel has remained strong and fought its way into global relevance.
One thing we can see about God throughout the scripture is that He does as He pleases, and His power is unlimited. When men, for instance, want to make a promise, they first check if they have the wherewithal to make good their word. Of course, man is not unlimited or omnipotent, only God is. So, when God makes a promise like the one He made to Abraham, it is a proof of His own divine ability and power to accomplish anything. This is why the scripture says,
“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Peter 1:3-4, KJV)
This proves that God’s ability can accomplish anything for us. When God reassured Abraham that he would father a child through his own wife, Sarah, God wasn’t looking at the condition they were in. Even Abraham also had to start thinking like God. The Bible makes us understand that he also decided to take his eyes off his physical condition and his age. He also decided not to focus on the deadness of the womb of Sarah –apparently, it was practically impossible for her to conceive due to her age. Rather than focusing on the impossibilities, he chose to focus on God and kept on rejoicing all through while
he waited for the promise.
This is the kind of attitude, perspective, and disposition the believer today must also have. We cannot afford to get lost in what our eyes see, or what our ears hear, or the way and manner others behave. We must only be moved by what we believe. Abraham chose not to be moved by what he saw, but by what he believed. This very disposition of Abraham earned him the caption of being a righteous man. Righteousness comes from accepting and believing what God has said and made available to us. Our righteousness is not in our works or self-motivated efforts; our righteousness is in Christ Jesus.
Experience the Power of Prophecy as a gift to open your mind to receive the Mind of Christ.