Genesis 17: Parents

A Promise to Keep

Genesis 17:7 (New Living Translation)
"I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you."

As a kid, my parents were divorced and on some weekends, I would stay at my dad’s house. I called him Disneyland Dad, because he always did his best to make our weekend visits special. He would pick me up on a Friday after school, go straight to the bank, withdraw a $100 bill from the ATM, and have a plan to spend it on me. The promise of his visit was something I always looked forward to. I would count the days until the weekend. Why? Because I trusted that my dad would keep his promise. He would pick me up and take me somewhere fun.

In Genesis 17, God makes a similar promise to Abraham. But this wasn't just about a weekend trip, it was an everlasting covenant, promising to be their God, spanning across all generations. Abraham didn't have any tangible proof, no ticket in hand, yet he believed God and held on to His promise.

As parents, we often promise things to our children, from small daily assurances to grand plans for the future. These promises are opportunities to model God's unfailing faithfulness. If circumstances make it impossible to fulfill a promise, we can openly discuss it with our children and use it as an opportunity to highlight the difference between our human limitations and God's limitless faithfulness. My dad couldn’t always keep his promises, and it was not uncommon for him to miss a weekend. But my mother assured me that my Heavenly Father would never make a promise He couldn’t keep. I believed her, and still do to this day.

Remember, every promise kept is a reflection of God's promise to us - an unchanging, faithful presence in our lives and in the lives of our children, forever. Trust in Him, just as your children trust in you.