Genesis 15:1

Genesis 15:1 says, After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.  After Abram rescued Lot, he received an assurance from God that he did not need to be afraid.  I believe that when we go through a bad situation that God will always be there to reassure us, whether we are successful or not.  Verse two asks, And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?  Abram was still questioning God.  How often do we question God when things don't go exactly as we think they should.  Abram said that he was still childless, which was not what he thought would be true by this time.  Verse three adds, And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.  Abram basically said that God had failed.  We may often look around at the conditions in the world and feel that God has failed us, but He never has and never will.  Abram said his servant's child would be his heir.  Verse four declares, And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.  God told Abram that he was wrong.  If we ever question God's promises, we can be certain that we are the ones who are wrong.  Instead of questioning, we should just be patient and wait on God in faith.  Verse five adds, And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.  God brought Abram out and told him to look at the stars and asked if he could number them.  Then, God promised Abram that he would have descendants that would not be able to be numbered.  Abram was still looking at the world in physical terms and not spiritual ones.  The God Who created the universe could certainly give Abram an heir when He promised to do so.  God is still capable of fulfilling His promises to us.  Verse six says, And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.  Like Abram, when we believe God's promise of salvation through Christ, it is counted to us as righteous.  It is our belief that brings us righteousness.  Verse seven adds, And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.  God promised Abram a land for himself and his descendants.  He promises us a heavenly home, which is for all who believe in Him.  Verse eight asks, And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?  We may want to ask the same thing at times about our heavenly home, but we must simply believe God.  Verse nine declares, And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.  God gave Abram instructions to follow, just as we have instructions to put our faith in Christ in order to attain salvation.  Verse ten says, And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each pierce one against another: but the birds divided he not.  Verse eleven adds, And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.  Abram sacrificed the animals but not the birds.  He also kept the birds away from the sacrifice.