When God promised Abraham he would be the father of many nations, Abraham was old and childless. There was absolutely no evidence of God fulfilling His promise for over two decades! Yet Abraham hoped and believed God’s promise. He believed it so much that when he didn’t see God acting to fulfill it, he took matters into his own hands and assumed he had to fulfill the promise his own way. Yet God still fulfilled His original promise and worked a miracle so that Isaac was the son of Abraham and Sarah. 

I bet Abraham was overjoyed to see the literal, physical promise of a son and descendants fulfilled – but the whole time, God was working quietly behind the scenes, crafting an even bigger story and weaving together a many-layered good. 

While Abraham rejoiced in Isaac, God had another meaning entirely for His promise that Abraham would be “the father of many nations”. Abraham became the father of the entire Jewish people, called and set apart by God. His faith became a model as Jews throughout history trusted in and wrestled with God. His lineage and family history got messy – but God wasn’t intimidated by the mess. He still saw the promise. 

Centuries later, another man appeared on the scene, who modeled total faith and dependence on His father. This man, a descendant of Abraham, was the “bright and morning star” (Revelation 22:16). Remember when God told Abraham to look up at the stars and count them – that’s how many descendants he would have? Abraham could never have imagined that God Himself would become incarnate and mark his appearance with a star as a guide for people to seek and find Him.

How creative is God?! How kind and gracious to not only deal with the mess and mistakes of His people, but to work through them to create a new layer of good for His people? And not only that – the whole time, God had a plan to include ALL people in His promise. Not only Jews, but also Gentiles – anyone who saw faith modeled and believed in His Son –

“the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.” 

(Romans 4:17)

Abraham did become a father to Isaac and Ishmael. He got to see his children and grandchildren grow up. He caught glimpses of the nation that formed from his descendants. But God has always been a master craftsman, and He created layers of fulfillment that Abraham might not have ever gotten to see. But we do! We, who are included in the promise by our faith – like Abraham’s – in the one who raised Jesus from the dead. 

If God’s promise and fulfillment for Abraham can be so expansive, so far-reaching, so beyond what Abraham could ever ask or imagine – how much more is our God doing the same thing today? How much more does He see our history, our dreams and our pain, and weave together a story so good that only future generations could start to glimpse the full glory of it? 

And yet, that small, literal promise to you from the Lord – He hasn’t forgotten it. Maybe it’s been a decade of waiting, hoping, wondering, even being disappointed over and over. Maybe you’ve gotten so tired of being disappointed that you’ve decided to make the promise come true in your own way. I’ve been there too. But look at the story of Abraham – how Sarah laughed in God’s face in disbelief and God fulfilled His promise anyway!

What if God is able to do whatever He promises? What if He is ready and willing to weave the broken parts of our story into something so good it will bless generations after us? What if the story only begins to make sense when we share it with our family, the church? 

What if He really is creating a many-layered good?

Romans 4: 16-25

“So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. 17 That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.”[d] This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

18 Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”[e] 19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.

20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. 22 And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. 23 And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded 24 for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.”