Genesis 15
Wrestling With Doubt and Disappointment
Genesis 15 opens with something deeply human: Abram wrestling with doubt. We know that place well. We’ve wrestled with doubt. We’ve wondered if we heard God correctly. We’ve questioned whether His promises still stand when time keeps passing and nothing seems to change.
God had promised Abram offspring, land, and blessing—but Abram was old, childless, and waiting. What had likely crept into his mind is what creeps into ours: Did I misunderstand God? Is this promise really for me? In response, God doesn’t scold Abram. He reassures him. “I am your shield,” the Lord says. I am your protector. I will preserve you.
Yet even with reassurance, Abram voices disappointment. He presents a contingency plan—a servant from Damascus as his heir—and even places blame at God’s feet: “You have given me no children.” Disappointment often sounds like that. It’s what happens when we place God’s promises inside our own timelines and expectations. Doubt, we learn, is not the opposite of faith—unbelief is. Doubt is often part of the journey of walking with an infinite God as finite people.
Learning to Focus on God, Not Circumstances
When disappointment sets in, we’re tempted to define God’s goodness by our comfort. If we quietly believe that “good” means easy, predictable, or pain-free, we’ll inevitably be disappointed. Abram’s life reminds us of this truth. His story included famine, wandering, barrenness, conflict, and loss. Faith never meant a trouble-free life.
Scripture repeatedly calls us to shift our focus—from fearing circumstances to trusting God. Jesus Himself tells us, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” The invitation is not denial of reality but perspective. We gaze at God and glance at our problems. We’re honest about what’s hard, but we refuse to let hardship define who God is.
This is why God takes Abram outside and tells him to look at the stars. The word “count” doesn’t only mean to number them—it also means to recount, to tell the story again. God is inviting Abram to remember who He is, what He has promised, and to retell that truth in the vastness of creation. Perspective restores peace.
Faith That Is Credited as Righteousness
Genesis 15:6 is one of the most important verses in all of Scripture: “Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” Abram is not declared righteous because of his performance, obedience, or moral perfection. He is declared righteous because he trusts God.
The New Testament returns to this verse again and again. Paul uses it in Romans and Galatians to remind us that we are justified by faith, not works. James points to it to show that genuine faith reshapes how we live. Across Scripture, the message is consistent: we don’t earn our way into God’s family. We’re invited in by trusting Him.
This means our failures don’t disqualify us, and our good deeds don’t save us. Like Abram, we are made right with God by faith—by believing His promises even when we don’t yet see their fulfillment.
A Covenant God Who Takes the Cost Upon Himself
The chapter ends with one of the most powerful covenant scenes in the Bible. God instructs Abram to prepare animals according to ancient covenant practices. Normally, both parties would walk through the blood-filled path, symbolizing mutual commitment—and mutual consequences if the covenant were broken.
But Abram never walks through. God puts him into a deep sleep.
Why? Because God knows that humanity cannot keep the covenant. If Abram walked through and sinned—even minutes later—justice would demand his death. Instead, God alone passes through the pieces, represented by a smoking firepot and blazing torch. God binds Himself to the promise and takes the full cost upon Himself.
This moment points forward to the gospel. Humanity breaks covenant again and again, yet God remains faithful. One day, He would seal the covenant not with animals, but with His own blood through Jesus Christ. God keeps His promises—not because we are faithful, but because He is.
Genesis 15 reminds us that when doubt and disappointment arise, we are invited to remember, to recount the story, and to trust a covenant-keeping God who finishes what He begins.
