Faith is believing that God is reliable, will do what he said

Boudreaux and Thibodaux went on a camping trip in the desert. They set up their tent, cooked their supper over a campfire and went to bed. Some hours later, Thibodaux wakes Boudreaux and says, “Boudreaux, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.”

“I see millions of stars.”

“What does that tell you?”

Boudreaux ponders for a moment and then responds, “Astronomically speaking, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Time-wise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, it is evident the Lord is all powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow.”

“Boudreaux, you are dumber than I thought. It means someone has stolen our tent.”

When God invited Abraham to look at the sky and “count the stars, if you can count them,” he could count about 5,000 stars. Of course, there are many more stars than those Abraham could see with his naked eyes. Modern day astronomers estimate the number somewhere around 1024; that is the number 1 with 24 zeroes after it.

We can vaguely understand the notion of “a trillion,” which the government and large corporations often use in their financial accounting. That is a one followed by 12 zeros. Add another 12 zeros and you have a septillion. That is how many stars might be in the sky.

God’s promise to Abraham takes on new significance when we realize that Jews, Christians, and Muslims all consider themselves “children of Abraham.” Once we appreciate God’s promise to Abraham, maybe we will learn to treat each other as true brothers and sisters. Our descendants – all septillion of them – are counting on us to do so.

God called Abraham and promised not only to make of him a great nation but also declared “in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” (Gen. 12:3) God’s choice of Abraham is not just for the benefit of him and his descendants, but for the whole world.

Abraham was worried and complained to God because he has no children. That is when God responds by bringing him out of his tent, showing him the multitude of stars in the clear desert night sky, and promising that his descendants will outnumber those stars. Considering the fact that Abraham and his wife Sarah are childless and now well past the normal age of childbearing, it is a fantastic pledge.

In spite of that, Abraham “believed the Lord, and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.” Abraham believed in a person, and it was his boundless trust in God that became the measure of Hebrew faith.

What did Abraham do to earn God’s favor? Abraham simply believed that God was reliable and would do what he had said. Abraham trusted God. Biblical faith means trust in God, and not wrapping our minds around impossible outcomes. Trust in God may lead to impossible outcomes. God does not ask us to do mental gymnastics, just to remain faithful.

Lent is the season that reminds us that our lives are a journey through death. With Abraham we can trust the promise of new life at our journey’s end. Lent challenges us to experience God’s presence in a deeper way that equips us for the stressful, painful, or tedious parts of the journey.

The great St. Augustine once said, “If you believe what you like in the gospels and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.”

God promises us eternal life. Do we believe God and act on that promise?