We skipped over a few chapters that talk about Abraham and his nephew, Lot. Feel free to go back and read them, but in today’s reading, we continue to focus on Abraham’s faith and God keeping his promises. Just like he had done in chapter 12, Abraham lies and tells people Sarah is his sister. If Abraham truly believed God’s promises, he would have known God was going to protect him. How could he become the father of Isaac otherwise? All Abraham has experienced in his interactions with God have not made his faith very strong.
Sometimes I hear people say, “He doesn’t go to church or anything, but he is very spiritual.” I think they mean his faith is just an internal thing between him and God. If we have faith, it should show in what we do. Abraham couldn’t truly trust God and then act in ways that showed he wasn’t really sure God would take care of him. Are there ways you think your faith is strong, but your actions tell a different story? Do you say you trust God to forgive yet live with guilt? Do you say you trust God to provide yet refuse to be generous? Do you say you know God loves you yet walk through life feeling unloved?