A SLEEPLESS NIGHT

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid Abram. I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” Genesis 15:1

Everything seemed to be going against Abram that night. Firstly after rescuing Lot, he knew that those kings would search for him to execute their revenge. That was a fearful thought. Secondly when he had returned with their loot, the Kings of Sodom and Gomorroh had offered the loot to Abram. But Abram had refused it because he did not want anybody to say that he became rich through homosexuals. But even assuming that he did accept the money- he could not pass it on to anybody, because Abram was childless. As Abram thought about his future that night, he saw battles in it, he saw more quarrels with his wife Sarah and he was probably going to die without descendants. All those thoughts must have certainly overwhelmed him. The future was certainly bleak and not very promising.

When everything seemed to be going against him, God intervened and every word that God spoke met one of those needs. That his future was not what he was imagining with loads of miseries. In fact although Abram’s future was going to be tough, yet great events were yet to unfold in his life- events he could hardly imagine. But there was one thing that he needed to do- believe God had said about his future. And Abram believed on the Lord and it was credited to Him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6)

What do you see in the future for you? Are your circumstances overwhelming? Do you see more struggles and troubles the unbearable monotony along the way? I assure you, troubles will never go away. These days we read about young people jumping off buildings rather than face their future- because in their minds there was nothing worth looking forward to. No Christian should contemplate suicide. There are some stories in the Bible that ended on a tragic note. They started well with God but the eventual decline came ending in suicide. The most notable are King Saul, Ahitophel and Judas. They all took their own lives. If something is really distressing don’t decide to end it all. But anyway, who is so sure and certain of his future? On a personal note- everybody’s future seems uncertain too. Even those who appear to be secure about their future are riddled with insecurities.

But there is one thing needed along every step of the Christian journey, and that is the same thing that Abram had- faith. To believe that in spite of all that had happened, God allowed it to happen for some mysterious purpose. Even our own blunders and horrible bungling through life, God may not have done it, its our foolishness and naiveness that caused those events that still cause pain, still God allowed it that we may learn the lessons. And we certainly learn one thing- life’s lessons are tough. Sometimes they leave their mark on us for the rest of our lives.

Remember if you are still recovering from some painful event, and your honor is in the dust and you see a bleak tomorrow, may I see say that God may still bring some good out of those evils. Once someone said to me “When you lose, don’t lose the lesson!”

Let God have its way in the days ahead. He is able to build you up again. Certainly you will meet new people and new events will take place in your life. Maybe God will open the door for you to visit distant lands and meet the foreign brethren.

Your life was not meant to end in shame. Maybe you have become like a tree in the wilderness with nobody to water your roots. Be still and accept the present season. The dark clouds will disappear, the sun will shine, the streams will hit your roots again- the hour of God’s visitation may be sooner than you think.