I remember one time, when I was in high school, I visited my brother who was attending Florida State University. We went out in the middle of the night in a jeep to a desolate area with with dirt hills. We were having fun jumping the hills, but that’s not what I remember.

What I remember was that one point, the jeep got stuck on the top of a hill. We got out to figure out what we were going to do…and I looked up. I think I saw every star in the galaxy in that moment. That image has stuck with me for decades

In our Old Testament reading, it’s night, and Abram is outside. There are no lights, no cities.

God brings him out and tells him to look up. “Count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then comes the promise:

“So shall your offspring be.”

It’s a staggering picture. The sky filled with more than he can number. A future that stretches far beyond what he can see.

And yet, there’s a problem. Abram has no child.

The promise doesn’t match the present reality. Years have passed. Nothing has changed. The future God describes feels distant, maybe even impossible.

And still, Abram believes.

“He believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness.”

That’s the heart of it.

Faith is not pretending everything makes sense. It’s not closing your eyes to reality. Abram knows exactly what his situation is. He knows his age and his wife is barren.

But he also hears God’s Word—and he trusts it.

That’s what faith does. It holds onto what God says, even when circumstances seem to say something else.

We know that tension.

There are times when what God promises and what we experience don’t seem to line up. You hear about His care, but life feels uncertain. You hear about His timing, but the waiting stretches longer than expected.

And the question sneaks into the back of your mind: “Can I trust this?”

Abram’s story gives a simple, profound answer.

He believed the Lord.

Not because he had proof. Not because he could see how it would all work out. But because God had spoken.

And God counts that as righteousness.

That’s grace. Faith itself is not a work that earns something. It is trust in the One who gives. Abram is not declared righteous because he accomplished something great, but because he trusted God’s promise.

And that promise ultimately points beyond Abram.

God’s Word doesn’t just speak about physical descendants and land. It leads forward to the One through whom all nations are blessed. The promise finds its fulfillment in Christ. And Galatians 3 tells us that the true children of Abraham are those who live by faith.

So when you find yourself under your own “night sky,” looking at a future you can’t quite grasp, remember this:

• God still speaks.
• His promises still stand.
• And faith still holds onto His Word.

And think about this…When God showed Abraham those stars all those millennia ago, one of them was for you.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

There are times when Your promises feel distant and the waiting feels long. Help me to trust Your Word, even when I cannot see how everything will unfold. Strengthen my faith, and remind me that Your promises are sure. In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.