Read GENESIS 17
As an author said, “Impossible odds set the stage for amazing miracles.” By Genesis 17, Abram and Sarai surely felt the seemingly impossible odds against the fulfillment of God’s promises to them. Dare they hope for a miracle?
Abram was now ninety-nine years old and still without a child. In the previous chapter he and Sarai had tried to have an heir through her maid, Hagar. But the resulting child, Ishmael, produced strife, not family blessing. Now in today’s reading, twenty-three years after Abram first entered Canaan, God reaffirmed His covenant promises to Abram and Sarai. His word was clear: “I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you” (v. 6). The whole land of Canaan would be their possession, and the covenant would be “an everlasting covenant” (v. 7).
From a human perspective, things seemed impossible. But God’s promises never fail, and now God called Abram to prove his trust in two important ways. First, there would be a name change. Childless Abram would now be called “Abraham” (meaning “father of a multitude”), and Sarai would be called “Sarah” (meaning “princess”—a mother of kings). A change in name meant a change in reality, even if Abraham could not yet see it.
Second, God called Abraham to seal the covenant through the act of circumcision. All males under Abraham’s authority were to receive this sign, for “My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant” (v. 13). Circumcision signified that any who broke the covenant would be “cut off” from God’s blessing. In the end, Abraham’s laughter indicated his doubts. But notice his implicit faith as well: he called Sarah by her new name (v. 17) and then circumcised all males in his household as God commanded.
APPLY THE WORD
Like Abraham’s story, the Christian life is often a journey of faith mixed with doubt. What are the difficulties in your life that threaten your faith? Spend time in prayer today, lifting up those challenges to God. Then ask the Lord to strengthen your faith in His promise of provision and care, even in the face of “impossible odds.”
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