"Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so," he added, "shall your descendants be." ~Genesis 15:5
Roughly 3,800 years after Abram (who was later renamed Abraham), was given a tremendous promise by God, another Abraham, our 16th President of the United States, kept his promise to end slavery in all Confederate-held territory. On the new year of January 1, 1863, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all enslaved people in the Confederacy. It's not a coincidence that some slaves referred to Lincoln as "Father Abraham." In many ways, they saw a deep connection between their situation and that of the slaves of Egypt, the descendants of Abraham. Many said ending slavery couldn't be done legally, whereas others thought it could never be enforced. Regardless, President Lincoln, though it cost him his life, kept his promise despite how outlandish it seemed at the time.
Just so, when God tells Abram he will make his descendants as numerous as the stars, it seems beyond imagining. Yet here we are today, the Church, which grew out of the Jewish tradition, and we know we are the descendants of that promise God made to Abram thousands of years ago.
When you're waiting on a promise from the Lord to be fulfilled, you may be concerned it will never happen because it seems too good to be true. When you feel this way, recall the words of the prophet Habakkuk: "Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry" (2:3).
Always improve the present moment and Happy Independence Day!
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