It's Full of Stars! And Wilderness! And mixed metaphors!

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

15:1 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."
15:2 But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"
15:3 And Abram said, "You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir."
15:4 But the word of the LORD came to him, "This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir."
15:5 He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be."
15:6 And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness.

 

I have four kids: three daughters and and son. People ask me all the time why I chose to have FOUR kids, and I always say, "because I am too old to have eight."  Yep, truth be told if I could I would have half a dozen or more kids.  I am not sure how many would be enough but if I could go back in time and start earlier I can tell you for sure I would have more.   



I know, lots of folks think that sounds crazy but I love all of my kids so much I can't imagine that having more of them to love would not mean that my life would be just that much more joyful.  Apparently Abram and I share a lot in common because when childless Abram hears that his kids will be more numerous than the stars it sounds like great news to him.  

I think it is pretty obvious that the Lord meant that he would have that many descendants, not necessarily that many kids.  Technically Abram had one illegitimate son as a result of his doubts (Ishmael) and one legitimate son with Sarah (Isaac).  After Sarah died Abraham remarried and had several other sons, but really the only one that mattered was Isaac because it was Isaac that God had planned to use to create his nation...the nation that would number greater than the stars...the nation you and I are part of as the spiritual descendants of Abraham. 



Abram's son Isaac was the "chosen one" who would go on to father the nation of Israel.  Although technically Isaac only had two sons: the hairy, brutish, but ultimately redeemable Esau, and the dishonest mamma's boy Jacob (seriously...read the story...talk about family dysfunction).  Esau sold his birthright to his brother for a bowl of soup (did I mention he was none too bright) and so Jacob went on to become the father of the twelve tribes of Israel.  So, God's promise to bless Abram, who then became Abraham, was true and faithful, but it hardly came in a predictable straight line.  The promise followed a seriously twisty, dark, and perilous path through the wilderness of life. 



These folks knew a bit about venturing out into the wilderness alone and afraid on uncertain paths.  In fact, each of them in turn took to the wilderness with no knowledge of how the journey would end.  Abraham wandered into the wilderness to be tested by God, Isaac wandered in the wilderness to escape famine, and Jacob, left alone in the wilderness, wrestled with an angel and was left lame. 

In the musical "Into the Woods" there is a line that goes:

Into the woods,
Without delay,
But careful not
To lose the way.
Into the woods,
Who knows what may
Be lurking on the journey?
Into the woods
To get the thing
That makes it worth
The journeying.
into the woods-

 Each of the main characters in the musical have to venture into the dark foreboding woods to follow an unsure path through dangerous temptations, obstacles, and antagonists.  In the end they each emerge wiser and whole-er (or they die trying).  

What made the journey worth the the "journeying" for Abram was the promise that he would have descendants as numerous as the stars. I may have misled you a wee bit saying that they ventured alone into the wilderness on the twisty path to descendants as "numerous as the stars".  They did go with God.  It was God who blessed Jacob after a night of wrestling, God who blessed Isaac with a safe homecoming, God who blessed Abraham with a ram to save his son Isaac.  God was with them all as they went down the dark paths in the wilderness. 



What makes the journey worth the journeying for you?  We all take that trip into the unknown from time to time.  Whether it is deciding on a new job, facing a health crisis, moving to a new home, dealing with a family catastrophe we all find ourselves at the entrance to the wilderness wondering if we will come out the other side OK.  So as you venture into the woods of your life are you ready for the path to bend and wind?  Are you ready for all the unknown dark corners?  Are you ready for all the sudden surprises?  If you are venturing in to life's unknowns alone, then no you are not ready.  But if you are taking not only the promises God shares with us, but God himself along, then you will find the wilderness does not hold the same fears. Ultimately we have to trust that God's promises are true and his will is that we will receive from him the blessing our life needs. In Abram's case it was children.  In our case it will be unique to each of us.  But we can trust that God will walk with us through the wildernesses of life with the promise of never leaving us alone and always being faithful to us.