Category: New Testament

Look Up

~ Sowmya Gali

Genesis 15: 5-6

And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.

When God called Abram out of the land of Chaldeans, He only promised that He will bless Abram and prosper him. The only condition was that he leave everything behind and follow God to the land the Lord God was going to show him. Abram obeyed the call, left behind everything. His father and nephew were the only ones who went along with him to the regions unknown. Soon after, Abram’s father died. But his nephew tagged along.

When strife arose between Lot’s herdsmen and Abram’s herdsmen, Lot and Abram decided to go separate ways. Lot chose the lush green valley of Jordan and settled near Sodom and Gomorrah, while Abram moved his tents to Hebron. It was in Hebron that God’s Word came to Abram in a vision. Abram was concerned that he still has no offspring. His nephew isn’t with him anymore. The only other male heir that Abram considered was his servant Eliezer.

That is when God took Abram outside and asked him to look up at the night sky. He asked him to count the stars if he was able to. And God promised that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the heavens. According to Lawrence O. Richards, today through the use of giant telescopes and radio telescopes that ‘see’ radio waves, we know that our Sun lies in a great cluster of stars, called a galaxy. Astronomers estimate that there are 100 billion stars in our galaxy and that there may be 100 billion galaxies in the universe (Richards, 1989). Astronomers have also suggested that our universe is expanding at a great rate.

God entered into a covenant relationship with Abram that night. Animals and birds were sacrificed. God and Abram entered into a blood covenant, first of its kind. Abram believed in the Lord. Isn’t it surprising that Abram trusted God more than anything or anyone at this point! He neither had a friend nor a relative to seek advice from, except for God Almighty. What God said, Abram had to take up at His Word. There was no turning back.

As we gaze at the night sky, we must realize that there is no East, West, North or South once we step outside of our planet. There is no up or down. The sense of direction is only relative to our planet. As numerous as the stars in the heavens, so many will Abram’s descendants be. Abram sure must’ve been overwhelmed by the prospect of having so many descendants. He just believed in the Lord and God reckoned it to him as righteousness. Abram recognized that what God was saying to him and showing him was absolute.

What are we believing today? Rather, who are we believing today? Is our worldview shaped by what we see around us? Or do we have a Biblical worldview? If we had the vision that Abram had about who God is, what His plans are for us, then we would be quick to believe in the Lord and take Him at His Word. Today God is asking us to ‘look up’ to the heavens. With God alone lies our redemption. With God alone lies our hope. With God alone lies our future.

Psalm 19: 1-2

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night the display knowledge.

Romans 1: 19-20

What may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Since there is so much of evidence all around us both visible and invisible, how can we not believe in God and in His Eternal Word. There is no other way around it. With man’s limited knowledge, there is only so little we could grasp the awesome power and divinity of God. Let us like Abram take God at His word.

Reference: Richards, O. Lawrence. “It couldn’t just happen – knowing the truth about God’s awesome creation” Harper Collins Christian Publishing, Nashville, TN 1989.

Look Down

~ Sowmya Gali

Genesis 13: 16 – 18

I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you. So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the Lord.

Imagine picking a fistful of dust, placing under a microscope and counting each particle. How ridiculous that would be! Yet, the Lord is promising Abram that if anyone could count the dust, that many his offspring would be – innumerable. Abram and his nephew have parted ways. Now Abram was on his own. The last connection with his family was also severed. If Lot had remained with Abram, he probably would have inherited his wealth and also the blessings that God has promised. However, God promised that out of his own body he would have an offspring. Abram would have been satisfied if his wealth and all God’s promises would have gone to Lot. After all, Lot was his own nephew. Therefore, God removed that final crutch as well before He could start fulfilling His promises to Abram.

God then asked Abram to look down – the dust he was standing on. His feet would have made an imprint as he lifted his foot to look down on the dust. He might have picked up a fistful and let the grains of sand run through his fingers. His dusty hands might have cupped his eyes as he tried to search the horizon in the direction his beloved nephew has gone. He then must have understood what God was saying. With the last thread severed, Abram’s only hope to have an offspring remained with God. The Lord was urging Abram to trust Him. With every step that Abram took, he felt assured that God was indeed going to bless him. With every crunch of his step, he was certain that God is going to bless him with offspring as numerous as the dust under his feet. He was certain of the firm ground beneath him.

The Lord is our firm foundation. With our feet firmly fixed on this Rock, we could go to places unknown, trusting that God will bless us. When God is our Rock, nothing can shake us. If our faith knows its firm foundation, then every crunch of our step would lead to God’s blessing. It is time for us to look down and ensure we are standing on dust that is as innumerable as God’s blessings. When we are certain of what is beneath us, it is easy to pitch our tents. Walking in blessing, every step gives us more confidence as we journey through this life. All we can do is build an altar like Abram and worship our Lord who blesses us. It is time for us to look down deep within our souls to check on how firm our foundation is and walk with confidence towards God’s innumerable blessings that are too many to count.