Genesis 15: Parents

Believing Promises

Genesis 15:6 (New Living Translation)
"And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith."

When my wife and I heard that Disney World was retiring their electric parade, we knew that we had to take our kids one last time to see it. So we decided to surprise them with the news, in the most exciting way! As they were tucked in bed one night, ready to sleep, we let them know that instead of sleeping in their beds that night, they would be sleeping in the car. We were going to drive through the night and be at Disney World by the morning! Oh man, you should have seen their faces! “Is this real life?”, my son asked in disbelief. “Yep!” I assured him. “You can believe it bud, we are going to be at Disney World by morning time!”

In Genesis 15:6, Abram displayed an extraordinary act of faith. When God promised him descendants as numerous as the stars, despite his old age and childless state, Abram chose to believe. His faith was so profound that God declared him righteous.

As parents, our actions teach our children more about faith than any lecture. They learn to trust us because we keep our promises. We can use such moments to illustrate God's character. Just as they trust us for a trip to a theme park, they can trust God, who is infinitely more reliable and capable.

Next time you make a promise to your child, relate it back to God's promises. Remind them of Abram's story and his unwavering faith in God's promises. In doing so, you will be teaching them that the God we serve is faithful and worthy of our complete trust.