When we struggle to trust God ｜ Genesis 15

Trust in the Lord. This is a sentence we hear repeatedly in sermons, articles, and social media posts. It is a reminder that is sorely needed most of the time, because as much as we know that trusting God is what we are supposed to do, it is much easier said than done. Often it is simply because we are so caught up in life that God does not come to mind. But sometimes, it is also because we have this apprehension that our God, the one who made heaven and earth, may not really know or care about what we are going through. After all, He is God, mighty and powerful, whose will always prevails. What if our needs are somehow not part of His plan because we are merely humans, small and insignificant?

But an interesting chapter in the life of Abraham shows otherwise. Genesis 15 shows us a moment when Abraham, still called Abram at the time, was caught in a bit of frustration. Abram had responded to God’s call for him to leave his country and his father’s house to go to Canaan, a land God had promised to give to Abram and his descendants forever. Yet years had passed, and Abram had remained childless. In God’s blessing, he had accumulated wealth and livestock, but the promise that his offspring would be as numerous as the dust of the earth was seemingly nowhere in sight.

God knows, and He cares

It wasn’t like Abram was complaining to God. But His heart was probably burdened with worry and fear, and God knew. In fact, God didn’t just know; He cared enough to reach out to Abram in a vision and said, “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great” (Gen 15:1).

So often, we think that our majestic God is too busy and too great to care about our feelings, but here we see that God not only knew all about Abram’s heart, but He also took the initiative to address his fears. He brought words of comfort before Abram even expressed his worry. He reminded Abram that there was no need to be afraid even though he was a sojourner in a foreign land, and that even if it looked like God had forgotten about Him, the unfulfilled promise was not a sign of abandonment. God was and will always be His shield, and the reward, though delayed, is coming, and it will be very great.

Yet all God’s encouragement did was seemingly open the flood gate, because His kind words were met with a little rant that had probably been plaguing Abram’s mind. Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus? Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir” (Gen 15:3-4). It is as if Abram could no longer hold onto His frustration, so it came tumbling out, as He questioned God, asking how He could say that He cared when this one thing Abram had been waiting for had remained unfulfilled.

I suspect that we, too, have questioned God the same way—wondering if God truly cares and whether He can indeed be trusted. But God’s own response to Abram is the best answer to our doubts. Instead of being offended by Abram’s complaint, God reacted with patience, love, and kindness. He first clarified that a biological child of Abram was definitely coming, even though it had been delayed for so long. God made it clear that He meant what He said, and His promises and His words will forever stand, even if God’s plan often proceeds in ways we do not understand. 

Yet God did not stop there. As if His words of affirmation were not enough, He brought Abram outside and showed him the stars. “Look toward heaven, number the stars, if you are able to number them,” God said, “So shall your offspring be” (Gen 15:5).

I try to picture what it is like to have God leading me into a night sky full of stars in my doubt and frustration, and gently reassuring me that He has not left me nor forgotten about me, and that He understands the anxiety brewing in my heart. I try to imagine how the God who made those stars would repeat His promises again and again to me, a mere mortal, when I constantly misjudge His heart and get impatient with His timing. I wonder how I would react to the jarring contrast that is His greatness and my fleshly, sinful nature, in an unexpected moment of vulnerability and honesty.

It is a monumental moment that calls for a monumental response, which Abram demonstrated beautifully with his reaction.

“Then he believed the Lord, and He (i.e. God) counted it to him as righteousness” (Gen 15:6).

Abram chose to trust God, even though the promise was yet to be fulfilled. God did not perform a miracle right there and then to change the circumstance, but Abram believed the Lord—trusting that our God is faithful, loving, and righteous. This was the very act that caused God to credit it to Abram as righteousness. The relationship between Abram and God was put right once again because he chose to abandon his fears and worries, and instead focused on the ways God has loved and cared for him, so that he could believe God, once again.  

We rarely think that trusting God is that monumental step in our relationship with Him. Somehow we always think it is about the other things: all the good works we do, and all the times we share the gospel. Not that these are unimportant, of course not. But believing God is exactly how we have all come to be saved and be counted as righteous when we accepted Christ. It was through trusting in Jesus and putting our faith in Him that our relationship with God was restored. We just didn’t realize that from that point on, every moment of choosing to trust Him despite our doubts and fears is equally significant, because every act of believing is a step that draws us closer, so that we learn to truly walk with God in faith.

Our God is still the majestic and awe-inspiring God who made the world. What is difficult to grasp is how He would also care enough to take the initiative to love us, establish a covenant with us, save us from the demise of our own sinful nature, and walk with us. His will indeed prevails, but in His goodness, somehow our mighty God always manages to take care of us as well. So great, so powerful, holy, and unfathomable, yet also gentle, compassionate, patient, and faithful. As we choose to trust Him, may we come to know God more and more, and see the true beauty of walking with our majestic and loving God.

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