A 14-day Lent devotional using Abraham's covenant in Genesis 17 to show that God's promises hold even when we disobey. God keeps his word; we don't. The talk ends with a prayer asking forgiveness for doubt and a call to deepen obedience through Lent.
Good morning, everyone, and blessings. Welcome to day 14 of Multiply, our Lent devotional. Today for day 14, we are going to be multiplying your commitment, and that is to obedience. My word for the year is commitment. So day 14, basically 2 weeks in. We're going to be multiplying the commitment to obedience, and I love obedience. So when I think about obedience, I think about Jesus and how he models that for me to be able to stay committed to my obedience to God. So let's jump into the word. It's coming from Genesis And as for Ishmael, I have heard you; I will surely bless him, I will make him fruitful, and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of 12 rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. The Bible is full of God's promises to His children, and many have implications for generations. Right now, we are living the promises made to our forefathers. Thank you, God. Genesis chapter 17 includes one of those promises. God promised Abraham that he would make his descendants into a great nation as numerous as the stars in the sky. That's a lot. Have you tried to count the stars? I have once or twice. Didn't get too far, but that's a lot. So it's impossible. This promise appeared threatened when Abraham and his wife Sarah became impatient and took matters in their own hands after waiting years to conceive. Sarah gave her servant Hagar to Abraham to bear a son. Hagar gave birth to Ishmael. Ishmael was not the promised son. This should have forfeited the promise, right? Surely God was not going to keep his promise after Abraham and Sarah's disobedience. This is a great story as far as we can lean into as we multiply our commitment to obedience. Well, if God were like us, no, he would not. As far as, um, he was going to keep his promise. God would— he's going to keep his promise. Thankfully, God is not like us. Genesis 17:7-8 proclaims that God's promise to Abraham was permanent. I will give the land where you are residing a permanent possession. In our text, God extends this promise to Ishmael. God promises to bless Ishmael and make him fruitful. Ishmael will be the father of 12 rulers, a great nation. Ishmael Lot's birth was a detour in God's plan for Abraham, but the path remained. That just makes me think about the parable of the sower, Matthew 13, when he said the path remained. God's promises are covenants, a permanent agreement not dependent on human effort or success. God's covenant extends beyond our ability to keep our end of the deal. When we fail in fear, we have forfeited God's promise. Reflect on God's covenant with Abraham. God's a covenant maker and a promise keeper. Amen. Love to go into prayer. Father God, we believe you. We trust you to keep your promises to us. When we are temperamental and fickle, you remain the same. Your promises are yes and amen. Help us to remember that if you said it, it will be. We ask for forgiveness for the times we doubted and disobeyed you. That just makes me think of the verse that I was reading last night. Psalms 86:5. For you, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in everyone who calls out to you. Abounding in love, abounding in love to everyone who calls out to you. So thank you for being a covenant-keeping Father. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you, guys. This has been a great Lent devotional. Day 14, going in strong. We have more days to come, and I think as we continue to just multiply in our commitment and our obedience, I'm super excited to continue this Lent devotional. Everyone, Have a blessed day. Blessings, everyone.
