You finish what you begin.

But Abram said, "O Soverign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inerit my estate is Eliezer of Damascas?" And Abram said, "You have given me no children, so a servant in my household will be my heir."

There's a nuance there. Don't miss it: Abram references local custom, local law of the land. He sighs, breathes deep, and shuffles the Rubix cube of prophecies one more time, trying to make all the white dots stay on one side. As he prays in Genesis 15, he vocalizes thoughts to the Lord. "God, was I half crazy when I heard you promise me a child through whom your promises would come? No. I know I wasn't ... So Eliezar, right? That's what you meant. Right? My servant guy? That works with the local custom. So he must be the heir you mentioned, right?"

Nuzi tablets carefully chisled with Akkadian script spell it out: barren couples could adopt a servant as their own son, and after they died the estate was rightfully his. Potentially a lucky guy, that Eliezar kid.

It only made sense.
The law of the land. 
The local custom.
It was a perfect fit for childless Abram and Sarai.
Naturally, Abram's brain went there.

But the story goes on, Abram leans into God's promise as God says "NO, my child. HE will come from YOUR body. In fact, he's the beginning of a multitude of children." God so loves Abram that he seals the deal with a covenant. In time, Sarai brings her precious firstborn into the word. Years pass. More years pass. Jesus Christ is born of the same line, and he gives life to multitudes. And God is good on his word.

"God never adjusts His commands to fit the customs of nations, no matter how deeply ingrained they are."

- Beth Moore

And my God, how this is our own story: A word, a command, a vision from the Lord and I'm off. At about step three down the path, insert speed bump as Person A doesn't respond like I hoped to the request the Lord said for me to take to Person A's feet. "Ah. Jesus. You are so crazy. I totally see what you did there. Don't you worry! They probably thought I said something weird. Man, are you lucky I'm such a good fixer." And we put that word, that command from the Lord within confines. Politcally correct confines of how you're supposed to behave as educated adult, or supposed to make money, or whatever. Sometimes it's like I'm afraid to be peculiar and more times I'm afraid he won't be faithful. And I'm writing this tiny-ly because I am so sad I ever think that.

Are you ever like that?

But He is so sweetly lately saying, "Oh my daughter. Believe. Just believe me at my WORD for I am good on that word. When, in the history of TIME have I in majesty and justice and peace and love shown myself as faithless? When? Point to a time if so. Even when you are faithless, I'm faithful (2 Timothy 2:13). I promise. Fall into my commands for I will do great things through my children."

God delights in impossibilities. 

He will do immeasurably more.

He will do immeasurably more for His glory through us if we believe.

"But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?* But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."

- Romans 8:25

* That's a dang good question, Paul.

photo credit: 1

blog post title: "Lord Our God" by Krisitan Stanfill