Picture It
Picture It
Genesis 15:5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Abram has just confessed to God his frustration at not having an heir, and God responds by taking him for a walk outside to count the stars. I love this encounter and find it deeply instructive. I get the sense here that Abram hasn’t looked up at the stars for a while, or that he’s been too busy to just be still before the LORD, or that he’s become so comfortable praying in the comfort of his tent that he’s forgotten the spiritual thrill of praying under the canopy of the heavens. So God breaks Abram’s routine. He takes him for a walk in the cool of night. He opens his eyes to something he’s been missing. And the more Abram looks, the more he sees. The further he gazes, the deeper it all gets.
Friend, there’s a panorama of providence surrounding us as well today if we just pay attention. So let’s break our routine. Let’s sit outside and listen to the birds, or stay up late to look at the stars, because God doesn’t just give us promises in words: He illustrates them.