Abraham: Faith That Obeys
Category: Character Studies
Lesson 4: Believing God’s Promise
Primary Passage: Genesis 15:1–21
Study Level: Growth
Estimated Study Time: 25–35 minutes
Central Truth
Faith rests on God’s promise when present circumstances appear impossible.
Learning Objective
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to explain how Abram responded to an unfulfilled promise, why God counted his faith as righteousness, and how believers can remain confident while waiting for God’s appointed time.
Key Bible Verse
“And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”
Genesis 15:6, KJV
Sound Biblical Teaching
Genesis 15 begins after Abram had rescued Lot and refused the wealth offered by the king of Sodom. Abram had demonstrated courage and integrity, but he still carried a deep personal concern.
God spoke to him in a vision:
“Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”
Genesis 15:1, KJV
God addressed Abram’s fear before discussing his future. Abram may have been concerned about retaliation from the kings he had defeated. He may also have wondered whether refusing material reward had placed him at a disadvantage.
God assured Abram that divine protection and relationship were greater than any earthly reward.
However, Abram raised the question that remained unresolved:
“Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless?”
Genesis 15:2, KJV
God had promised to make Abram a great nation, but Abram still had no child. Time had passed, and the visible evidence appeared to contradict the promise.
Abram assumed that Eliezer of Damascus, a trusted servant born in his household, would become his heir. His reasoning reflected the legal and cultural arrangements available to a childless man.
Abram was not rejecting God. He was trying to understand how God’s promise could be fulfilled through his present circumstances.
God corrected his assumption:
“This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.”
Genesis 15:4, KJV
God then took Abram outside and told him to look towards heaven and count the stars, if he could.
“So shall thy seed be.”
Genesis 15:5, KJV
The stars became a visible reminder of a promise that Abram could not yet see fulfilled. God redirected Abram’s attention from his empty household to divine possibility.
Abram responded:
“And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”
Genesis 15:6, KJV
Abram’s righteousness was not earned through perfect behaviour. God counted him righteous because he placed his trust in the Lord.
This verse became central to the New Testament explanation of justification by faith. Paul referred to it in Romans 4 and Galatians 3 to show that people are made right with God through faith rather than through human achievement.
God also reaffirmed His promise concerning the land. Abram asked:
“Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?”
Genesis 15:8, KJV
God responded by establishing a covenant ceremony. Animals were divided, and the pieces were arranged opposite each other. In the ancient world, such ceremonies represented the seriousness of a covenant.
A deep sleep came upon Abram. God revealed that Abram’s descendants would experience oppression in a foreign land for four hundred years before being delivered with great substance.
God’s promise included a future nation, but it also included waiting, suffering, deliverance and divine judgement.
After sunset, a smoking furnace and a burning lamp passed between the divided pieces.
God alone moved between them. This signified that the fulfilment of the covenant depended ultimately on God’s faithfulness.
Abram received a promise, a covenant and a clearer view of the future. However, he still had to continue waiting.
Clear Explanation
God addressed Abram’s fear
God began with the words, “Fear not.”
Faith does not mean that fear never appears. It means that fear does not become the highest authority in your life.
God identified Himself as Abram’s shield. A shield protects a person during conflict. God was assuring Abram that his security did not depend only on military strength, wealth or alliances.
God also called Himself Abram’s “exceeding great reward.”
Abram had refused the king of Sodom’s wealth, but he had not lost his true reward. God Himself remained the source of Abram’s security, identity and future.
When fear rises, return first to who God is before focusing entirely on what you need.
Abram spoke honestly about his disappointment
Abram did not pretend that waiting was easy. He asked what God’s promise meant while he remained childless.
Faithful people can express genuine questions.
There is a difference between asking God for understanding and refusing to trust Him. Abram’s question opened the way for greater clarity.
Do not hide your disappointment behind religious language. Bring your concerns to God respectfully and honestly.
Prayer should include worship, thanksgiving and confidence, but it can also include grief, confusion and unanswered questions.
Abram created a human explanation
Abram assumed that Eliezer would become his heir.
His conclusion made sense according to his present reality. However, it did not reflect the specific way God intended to fulfil the promise.
When waiting becomes difficult, people often develop alternative explanations:
- Perhaps God meant something different.
- Perhaps I need to lower my expectations.
- Perhaps I must create my own solution.
- Perhaps the promise belongs to somebody else.
- Perhaps the delay means that God has forgotten me.
Some expectations may need correction because they were never based on Scripture. However, when God has clearly spoken, do not rewrite His promise merely because fulfilment has not yet appeared.
God redirected Abram’s vision
Abram was looking at his childlessness. God told him to look at the stars.
God did not deny Abram’s reality. He gave Abram a greater reference point.
Faith does not ignore facts. It refuses to treat present facts as the final limit of what God can do.
Your circumstances provide information, but God’s character determines the foundation of your confidence.
Abram believed God Himself
Genesis 15:6 states that Abram believed “in the LORD.”
His faith was not based only on a desired outcome. It was placed in the God who made the promise.
This distinction matters.
Faith is not positive thinking. It is not an attempt to force events through strong emotion. Biblical faith trusts God’s character, wisdom, power and faithfulness.
The central question is not only, “Do I believe this will happen?”
It is also, “Do I trust God, even while I wait?”
Faith was counted as righteousness
God counted Abram’s faith as righteousness.
Abram had obeyed, worshipped, fought battles and acted generously. However, his right standing before God was not presented as payment for his achievements.
He believed God.
The New Testament uses this passage to explain that salvation is received through faith. Good works matter as the fruit of genuine faith, but they do not purchase righteousness.
Faith receives what human effort cannot earn.
The promise included a process
God revealed that Abram’s descendants would experience oppression before deliverance.
Abram might have expected a direct path from promise to fulfilment. God showed him that the journey would involve generations, hardship and divine intervention.
A promise from God does not mean that the process will be immediate or comfortable.
Some purposes develop through:
- Waiting
- Preparation
- Opposition
- Character growth
- Generational progress
- Closed opportunities
- Unexpected changes
- Dependence on God
Do not judge the promise only by the difficulty of the process.
God accepted responsibility for the covenant
The burning lamp and smoking furnace passed between the pieces while Abram remained in a deep sleep.
This showed that God was taking responsibility for fulfilling His covenant commitment.
Abram would still need to believe and obey, but the promise did not depend on Abram controlling every detail.
Faith works faithfully without pretending to be God.
You are responsible for obedience. God is responsible for fulfilling His purpose according to His wisdom and timing.
Practical Application
1. Identify the unanswered issue beneath your activity
Abram had wealth, influence and victory, but he remained troubled by childlessness.
A person can appear successful while carrying a private disappointment.
Ask yourself:
- What unanswered issue occupies my thoughts?
- What promise appears delayed?
- What loss or limitation am I trying to ignore?
- Where do I need to speak honestly with God?
Name the concern instead of allowing it to control you silently.
2. Separate God’s promise from your assumptions
Abram assumed that Eliezer would be the solution. God corrected him.
Examine whether your expectation is based on:
- A clear biblical truth
- Wise interpretation
- Personal desire
- Pressure from other people
- Cultural expectations
- Fear of disappointment
- A deadline you created
God may fulfil His purpose differently from the method you imagined.
Hold firmly to God while remaining humble about your preferred process.
3. Create visible reminders of God’s faithfulness
God used the stars to strengthen Abram’s vision.
You also need reminders that redirect your attention.
These may include:
- Written Scripture
- A prayer journal
- Records of answered prayers
- Previous testimonies
- A list of God’s past provision
- Encouraging words supported by Scripture
- Regular conversations with mature believers
Do not allow present pressure to erase your memory of God’s faithfulness.
4. Refuse to measure God solely by time
Delay can feel like denial, but they are not always the same.
Waiting does not automatically mean:
- God has rejected you.
- You have failed.
- The opportunity has disappeared.
- Somebody else has taken your future.
- Your life has stopped progressing.
Use the waiting period responsibly. Prepare, learn, serve and grow.
Do not suspend your entire life while focusing on one unfulfilled desire.
5. Trust God without abandoning responsibility
Faith does not remove practical action.
Abram continued walking with God, managing his household and living responsibly while waiting.
Do what is within your control:
- Pray
- Prepare
- Study
- Save
- Build
- Apply
- Seek counsel
- Improve your skills
- Care for your responsibilities
- Correct your mistakes
Then release what only God can control.
6. Avoid manufacturing fulfilment
The pressure created by delay can tempt you to force the result.
You may be tempted to:
- Enter the wrong relationship
- Accept an unsuitable opportunity
- Manipulate people
- Ignore warning signs
- Compromise your integrity
- Borrow irresponsibly
- Move before preparation is complete
- Present an incomplete truth
A forced result may create consequences that patient obedience would have avoided.
7. Let God’s character become your security
God told Abram, “I am thy shield.”
Your peace must rest in more than the outcome you desire.
People, jobs, money, organisations and opportunities can change. God remains faithful.
Build your confidence around who God is, not only around what you hope to receive.
Reflection
Answer these questions honestly.
- Why was Abram still concerned despite his wealth and victories?
- What did Abram assume about Eliezer?
- How did God correct Abram’s assumption?
- Why did God ask Abram to look at the stars?
- What does Genesis 15:6 teach about faith and righteousness?
- What future difficulty did God reveal concerning Abram’s descendants?
- What did the covenant ceremony communicate about God’s commitment?
- What unanswered issue are you carrying?
- Have you created a human solution because waiting has become difficult?
- Are you trusting God, or are you trusting only for a specific result?
- What responsibility should you continue fulfilling while you wait?
- What visible reminder can help you remember God’s faithfulness?
- Is there a deadline you have placed on God?
- What would faithful waiting look like in your present situation?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for being my shield, my reward and the source of my future. Help me to trust You when circumstances appear contrary to Your promise. Forgive me for the times I have allowed delay, disappointment or fear to weaken my confidence in You. Correct my assumptions and protect me from forcing outcomes through impatience. Teach me to wait faithfully, act responsibly and remain honest before You. Strengthen my heart through Your Word and remind me of Your past faithfulness. I place my unanswered questions, expectations and future in Your hands. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Action
Identify one promise, prayer or expectation that appears delayed.
Complete the following statements:
The situation I am waiting on is:
The present circumstances are:
The fear created by the delay is:
The assumption I may have made is:
The biblical truth I need to remember is:
The responsibility I must continue fulfilling is:
One action I will take this week is:
Write one Scripture that reminds you of God’s faithfulness. Place it somewhere visible and read it each day for the next seven days.
Faith does not deny the delay. Faith trusts the God who made the promise and remains obedient while waiting.