Daily Thought

We are all people of fluctuating moods, and it is helpful to remember that great men and women of God in the Bible were cast in exactly the same mould. Even Abraham, that man of outstanding faith, was not exempt. After his refusal of any reward from the king of Sodom, ‘the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward’. The elation of victory over Chedorlaomer and his colleagues had evidently given place to depression. Was he disconsolate because Lot had failed to learn the lesson, and returned to Sodom? God knew all about the feelings of His servant and reminds him of His interest and care; ‘I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward’. It is reassuring to notice that this is in the present tense.

But there was only one reward that was dear to Abraham’s heart, and God’s promise to be his ‘exceeding great reward’ did not seem to provide the answer. We can catch the discontent in his voice as he answers, ‘Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?’. Abraham was evidently a very disappointed man. God had apparently failed him, and the prospect of Eliezer’s succession did not seem an adequate fulfilment of the promise, ‘in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed’, 12. 3.

We hesitate to criticize Abraham, for there must be very few of God’s people, if any, who have not questioned His ways in their lives. In fact, we have grounds to commend Abraham, for he did tell God exactly what was in his heart. The psalmist set us all a good example when he wrote, ‘In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God’, Ps. 18. 6.

What kind of answer can we expect when we tell God about our disappointments and shattered dreams? Abraham discovered that ‘the Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy’, Ps. 145. 8. There was no recrimination. God graciously reaffirmed His promise to Abraham; ‘he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir’. There was no more complaint, for Abraham ‘believed in the Lord’. We must remember that our God ‘cannot lie’, Titus 1. 2. His promises are ‘yea’ and ‘Amen’, 2 Cor. 1. 20.