At this point in the story, Abram has heard the promise of God, obeyed His call, and walked with God to an unfamiliar place. But he is still waiting. The promise has been spoken, but it is yet to be fulfilled. He lives in a grand divine tension of believing in the promise and seeing it come to pass. This tension shows us something special about faith. Faith isn't the absence of questions. Faith is trust  in the midst of unanswered ones.

Abraham is rightfully confused. And he's honest, too. He knows the promise, but he also knows he's old and Sarah is barren. Abraham isn't standing in ideal conditions for belief. He's standing in the gap between what God has said and what he can see.

And that is precisely where the covenant is formed.

God doesn't shame him, He takes him outside and has him look at the sky. The stars were so abundant, they couldn't be counted; couldn't be controlled, and they couldn't be produced. All he can do is receive and trust what God is saying about them. And then we have one of the greatest statements in all the Bible: "Abram believed the Lord, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

That isn't to say he had it all figured out by any means. It doesn't mean he has 100% certainty about the timeline or that the circumstances changed. What it does say is he believed the Lord. His righteousness isn't tied to flawless performance, but to trusting the God who makes covenant promises.

The rest of the chapter takes this truth to a new level in the covenant ceremony itself. Abraham is taken into a deep sleep and God Himself passes between the pieces of the sacrifice. In this ancient ritual, the oath takers would walk between the halves of the animals signifying that if they break the covenant, then let them be drawn and split like the animals. But this time only one passed through; and it was God.

God knew Abraham and all humanity couldn't, and ultimately wouldn't, perfectly keep the bargain ... but He could, and He would. The entire weight of the covenant rests on God. For you and me, that's great news. Covenant faith has never been about our own ability to hold God and His promises together. It's about His faithfulness to hold us.

This week begins with a comforting truth. Faith isn't being certain of guaranteed outcomes. Faith is having confidence in the God who speaks, remembers, and binds Himself to His own promise.

As you walk through your own faith journey, where do you feel the tension between what God has promised and what you can presently see? What honest questions do you need to bring to God today without letting go of trust in His character?

Dear Lord, it is a great comfort to my heart that covenant faith doesn't require me to pretend I have no questions. Teach me to trust you in the waiting, the tension, and the spaces between promise and fulfillment. Help me believe because you are faithful, not because I can see the outcome clearly. Amen.